The Sims 2: Mansions & Garden Stuff Pack (PC)

I've been a huge fan of The Sims for years. I'm not much of a gamer, and I couldn't tell you the ins and outs of EA Games (the company behind the Sims), but when I care about The Sims as much as I do, I couldn't care whether the company was worth a single penny, or multi million pennies! I played the original Sims PC games (Unleashed, Superstar, Hot Date etc) for years, and when I finally got a laptop, I bought The Sims 2.

I've actually owned The Sims 2 for a good few years now. I'd taken a break from the game, and when I decided that I wante to start playing again a month or so ago, I decided it was time to buy some more expansion packs. I bought four in the one day, and one of these is 'The Sims 2: Mansion and Garden Stuff.

Ordinarily, I'd not buy any expansion packs that do not add to gameplay, however I simply 'had to have' and there was not much else available! I chose this one especially over a few others in the shop as I like my sims to live a glamourous and luxurious life (thank goodness for the Motherlode cheat!).

The front of the box states that there are '60 stylish items!' for us to discover. Now I didn't sit and count every single item, but it didn't feel as much as sixty. Chances are,m this was because most are pocketed in the Decoration category of the Buy mode, For those who like to design their houses down to every last detail, this might be a good thing. I really should take more care with house design, but I like to get stuck in with playing the actual game! Don't get me wrong, there are some beautiful decoration items, with some plants and posh paintings. I did only skim past them though - they didn't interest me much at all!

There are some pretty lights (which again I tend to select one ceiling light at random and just throw it all over the house!), as well as garden fountains and benches. I found that the more delightful items actually came in Build mode. There are some beautiful windows, some large and open with others small with intense detail. Large doors can now be yours, with their close up attractive designs.

I particularly like the large stair cases, which are much like those from The Sims: Superstar. The only problem is, the stair case caused a little problem! I'd made a three-floor house and used the large double staircase twice - one from ground to first floor, and another from first to second floor. The first-second floor one worked perfectly, however my sims just refused to use the grounde floor staircase! It was in the right place and everything, they just didn't want to go up it!

Other than that slight issue, the game does have some wonderful accessories. I'd have preferred some more interactive items for the sims to use as these are the ones I like best, but it isn't a major issue.

The expansion pack is rated 12+, which applies to the Sims 2 game itself rather than necessarily the pack. However, you do need to have the Sims 2 game, Sims 2 Deluxe, Sims 2 Double Deluxe or indeed Sims 2 Festival Edition installed on your PC already in order to install this. You also need to have 1 GB RAM available memory, and a 1.0GB harddrive. Nowadays this isn't asking for a lot really! Your video card also must be 64 MB, which again is generally going to be present.

Suitable for XP or up, this is a nice enough game pack. I've deducted a star as I feel that there could have been a little more items for the sims to involve themselves with, but other than that it will allow you to create a beaqutiful home (as long as you have patience and/or cheat codes!). I bought my copy from Grainger games for just short of £5, which is a good enough price. You may find it as much as £10 in other stores such as HMV and Game, which Ido think is a bit much however. It is definitely worth checking oiut if you focus on house building and one for Sims 2 fans!

Amy 2011