Sim City 2000

There are so many computer games out there that are all the same. In one game a squadron or fighting force fights for dominance. In another game famous players battle it out in the sports arena. While these games may supply hours of enjoyment, games with originality and a little thought are far more exciting to play. The Sims is one of these games.

In The Sims, families are created, moved into houses, and then controlled to do any number of things. Hatred develops between some characters and friendship between others. These characters, referred to as Sims, get tired, hungry, have to go to the bathroom, keep clean, and have fun. The most important thing for a Sim to do though is to interact with its fellow Sims. A Sim, if left alone without anyone to talk to for a period of time, will stop responding to commands and be rendered virtually useless for days. The Sim can only then be cheered up by other characters and will not respond again until it feels like it. However, in order for all this to occur, a Sim must first be created.

Every Sim has its own personality. Some are neat, some are active and outgoing, and then some are just total slobs. All of these traits are modified in the family menu and along with these personality traits appearance traits can also be modified. Choose from a wide variety of hair color, clothing style, body type, and choose a sex to create the ideal Sim. Once this Sim has been given a personality and appearance it can be paired up with another newly created Sim. Watch out though. Sims that have opposite zodiac signs won't get along and will often get into fights. Even Sims with the same zodiac sign will have slightly different personalities though. Once a Sim is created it can then be moved into a house.

Different houses can be chosen in the Sim's city which range from fifty thousand dollar mansions to seven thousand dollar mouse holes. Don't expect to get the fifty thousand dollar mansion for your Sims right off though since they only start out with twenty thousand and need to furnish a house with this money after they have moved in. Sims need showers, sinks, refrigerators, tables, beds, couches, chairs, toilets, and other household items in order to survive and can't get these items without money. Food can't even be taken out of the refrigerator without money since the refrigerator acts like a type of supermarket, where everything must be bought. Once a Sim moves into a house it will need a job immediately so it can buy food, new household articles, and eventually move to a bigger and better house. Not everything in The Sims can be as carefully managed as household interactions and purchases.

Random events occur in a Sims everyday life just as in any other person's life. Fires start, floods occur, burglars steal, and Sims die in the dog eat dog world of the Sims. Repair men must be called to fix appliances, the fire department must be called to put out kitchen fires, and the police must be called in to arrest robbers. Interestingly enough, no one must be called in to deal with a death. Once a Sim dies an urn appears and this urn can be taken outside where it will form a grave wherever it is placed. Sims mourn over deaths and withdraw a little from social life for a while, but soon their personalities revert to normal. There are precautions that one can take to cut down on the amount of random disasters such as installing a fire alarm or a burglar alarm.

Sims constantly interact in with one another, forming an endless life circle. There is no way to beat this game, since life is eternal, but marriages can be formed, babies born, and new houses made in an effort to expand the neighborhood. Each Sim reacts on a personal level and communities built on love or hatred can be constructed. There is always plenty to do in the Sim world of and I've often lost track of many hours while playing it. All and all, The Sims is shockingly life-like, full of surprises and alternate possibilities, that will create the same addictive flavor you experienced with the original Sim City 2000. www.simcity.com