The Sims Vacation (PC)

No Easter Basket for my daughter this year - at least not one filled with chocolate candies and Easter eggs. You see, Meredyth was ill earlier in the Spring with a stomach virus. One of the last things she ate before she became ill was chocolate. She hasn't wanted it since. So, this year it was a PC game and a stuffed bunny.

Given the fact that she didn't want ANY chocolate, I was in a dither as to what to give her as an Easter gift. I was walking through the local Kmart when I spotted the newest Sims game: Sims Vacation. Meredyth had told me that this was going to be released soon, but neither of realized that it had hit the shelves yet. As soon as I spotted it, I turned to my mom and said, "This is perfect! She'll love it!" And love it she does.

I'll begin by saying that this game was much easier to install than Sims Hot Date. It took very little time to get the game up and running. There have been a few computer crashes while playing, but that may be due to faults with our system. I'll have to update this as I know more. The crashes are random and have been few.

This game begins with some island reggae-sounding music that is happy and uplifting. If you close your eyes and listen, you'll almost believe you are somewhere in the Carribbean. Like other Sims games, you make your own families. With this particular one, you can have up to 40 families, which is more than with any other Sims game.

The lovely vacation island offers lots of options to choose from which include a ski resort, a camp ground in the forest, and a beach resort. Also, if the parents want a little romance, they can head off for a little romantic getaway.

While on vacation, the family can be entertained by a host of new characters. This is especially helpful for the children. If the kids become out of control, the vacation can abruptly come to an end. Also, if not careful, the family can become ill with a nasty case of "Montezuma's Revenge," which can make the holiday a rather unenjoyable one.

To help the Sim families remember their trip, there are souvenirs to be purchased. Also, they can go to carnivals and win prizes or dig up a buried chest chock-full of treasures.

The Sims Vacation contains 125 new objects not previously available on other Sims games. All of these additions makes for a lively new game that will keep you and/or your child(ren) entertained for hours at a time.

I purchased this game at Kmart for $29.99. Given the amount of time that Meredyth has spent playing it, I can say that it was money well spent.

As with other Sims games, there are some adult themes which some parents may not find suitable for their children. However, it is not as suggestive as Hot Date; they are mild by comparison.

All in all, I recommend this game for anyone age 12 and over. It's a lot of fun and a sure escape from the worries of everyday life.