The Sims (PC Game)
Reviewed by Brian Schell
The best way to describe The Sims from Maxis is by calling it a "real life" simulator. You start out with a small house and one or two people to live inside the house. You must get the people, called "Sims" a job, send them to work every day and help them live out their lives as you see fit.
There are many personality traits that help make up a Sim, from neatness to sociability to their overall activity level. Some are lazy and leave food all over the house. They won't get for work in the morning, they stay up all night, they play their TV's, Radios, and Stereos all night. These are the neighbors from hell.
It's also micro-management at it's worst. Every day you must pick up the newspaper and throw it out. Then you have to take out the trash. Then you need to wash the dishes. You even have to tell them when to go to the bathroom. If you don't... well, expect a puddle on the floor. If you get a sim that wakes up on time goes to work all by himself, count yourself lucky. These little twits have been known to dance until they starve to death. It's hard to kill a Sim, but it can be done!
Once you get a sim that can keep a job, he will start bringing home an income. You get bills in your mailbox that must be paid, and food costs money as well, but what's left over can be spent on a wide variety of toys & home furnishings. You can buy everything from a big-screen TV to a Jacuzzi. The house itself can be expanded- add rooms, a pool, even a second floor. Of course, having a nice house isn't enough- you have to have friend come over so you can show it off. Have your Sim get on the phone and call the neighbors- but check the clock first- they won't be friends long if you keep calling them at 2am.
Some Sims will go to work, do their chores, and live a happy life all on their own, but most of them need a lot of effort to keep going. I don't know about you, but I don't like carrying out the trash in real-life, so why would I want to do it in a game? The house building, and shopping for new things can be fun, as there are a lot of toys to play with and new things to see, but overall, I found it too much work to really be fun. Like most Maxis products, you can't really win, since it's more of a simulation than a game. You can't really lose either, unless your Sims die, but that's pretty rare.
Bottom line- If you like washing dishes and going to the bathroom, this game may be for you. I found it a little TOO realistic to be enjoyable.
The Sims, By Maxis
Requires: Windows 95/98, 233+ Mhz processor, 32MB RAM, DirectX 7 Certified 2MB Video Card and Sound Card
For More Info: http://www.thesims.com
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