View Feedback | Send this Article | Published 2/07/03

Graphic By: Jonelle Thackston

If you weren't already obsessed with Maxis's best selling "The Sims," be prepared, because the Sims are online. That's right, the folks at Maxis have taken one of the all-time best sell PC platform games and moved it to the net for large scale multi-player action.

First starting the game, loyal Sims players will notice the difference. First, you can only create up to three sims. Before you design your sim you pick the city in which they will live. After this you create their appearance and a profile. Unlike the original, you do not get to design a personality. The success of your sim no longer depends on how well they are designed, but how well you the player can work with the other players in the game.

There are no longer money cheats in the game. That's right, no instant money. You have to go out and earn it. Not the traditional way, either. There are no tradtional jobs in this game. No, you must go out to the neighbors and earn it. You can make pizza, work puzzles, write stories, or be a telemarketer. There are all these ways and more to earn money. Owners get a kick-back from all this as well. So it behooves you to own these items on your property. And you can now chat directly with all the other sims. No more "guess what the other person just said."

With all these features and more "The Sims" just got a whole lot more exciting. It's a great game. The only flaw is that gameplay can be a little choppy with people on slow modems. I have to give this game a 4.5 out of 5. It'd be 5 of 5, but the gameplay glitches tend to be a distraction.