There really is not a lot I can say in this review that will change your mind if you are going to buy this or not. If you loved the Sims and the expansion packs then you will buy the Sims 2. If you hated the Sims original games then you simply won't go out and buy it. To be honest that is a fair assumption and one that you wont go wrong with. The Sims 2 is more of the same but in much more detail than the first and with better graphics and more interaction. The Sims 2 will have the fans of the Sims hooked for hours on end.

The Sims 2 has a choice of three setting for you to join in the beginning plus the option for creating your own town to live in. I could list everything that is new in great detail but I believe the most fun you will get out of the Sims 2 is finding out all the little new additions as they arrive. It will keep you hooked on the game for many months to come. Lets just say that the way the Sims act on a day to day basis have moved on, they now do lots more like real humans. It may be all little things but it adds so much to the Sims 2.

Before you even get into controlling your Sims you will have to create your Sims. Beware leave yourself a great deal of time for this, as customizing your Sim family could take you quite a while. There is so much you can change about your sims. Whether you want to create the perfect person or simply want to re-create yourself, you are guaranteed to spend ages changing clothes facial features and characteristics.

  

(Click pics to enlarge)

Features

New 3D game engine  Only adults and elderly will be able to "play", teens will have a special move of their own.  Sims "Lifecycle" featuring 6 stages (from baby to toddler, children,  teenager, adults and finally "geezer".)  Life score based on important events in the Sim's life (eg first crush)  DNA (offsprings resemble their parents)  Over 500 objects  Sims will change according to their past actions (eg Sims become fat if they watch two much TV.  Sims can now distinguish between relationships better (eg husband and wife)  More than 2 stories  Better AI (Artificial Intelligence) for Sims  Facial Expressions  4 new motive (two of which, friend and family, used to be combined in the motive social, the other two are thirst and mind)  Objects can be placed on diagonal walls.  More building objects  Facial Expressions  Weather  Calendar (weeks and weekends)  3 Huge neighbourhood with 50 lots  Photo album allowing both video and still shots  Families can own more than one house  New NPCs  18 adult career tracks with 10 levels each  7 teen/ "geezer" career tracks with 3 levels each  "Geezers" get a pension

System Requirements

If you have a T&L capable video card with at least 32 MB of video RAM (such as Nvidia GeForce 2 or better or ATI Radeon 7000 or better) then you need at least:

• 600 MHz P3 processor

• 256MB RAM if Windows XP, Windows ME, or Windows 2000

• 128MB RAM if Windows 98

If you have a non-T&L capable video card (such as TNT2 or Intel Integrated for example) then you need at least:

• 1.5 GHz processor

• 256MB RAM if Windows XP, Windows ME, or Windows 2000

• 128MB RAM if Windows 98

Recommended video cards (and the more video memory the better): ATI Radeon 9800 Pro Nvidia Geforce 4 or FX series cards.