I confess: I am a Sims addict. Although not a fan of daytime television soap operas, I become quite absorbed in what is for me a virtual soap opera over which I have at least some control. Despite the fact that I religiously avoided Big Brother, perhaps there is a latent voyeur in me who likes to watch my Sims family as they live out their rather bizarre lives.
Naturally, I was quite excited to receive a review copy of the latest expansion, Makin` Magic. This is the seventh and final expansion before next year`s scheduled release of The Sims 2. I don`t quite know what I was expecting, but after installing it and playing a bit, I was left a tad dissatisfied.
OK, OK. I admit that it is fun to charge your Sim`s wand and turn that annoying neighbour, Bella Goth, into a toad, or your pet (if you have the Unleashed expansion) into a person for a while.
But after a while I find that all the work involved in learning a new trick detracts from my Sim`s career path and other development. Unless you use the simoleons cheat, your Sim still needs to earn a living. Who can spend the entire day making elderberry wine and mixing toad sweat with butter?
The kind of magic involved is pretty archaic. The new lots look like scenes from a 1930s movie, complete with old Gypsy caravans and Houdini-style illusionists. Do I detect the influence of Master Potter here?
Your Sims can even engage in magic duels vaguely reminiscent of those of Tolkien`s wizards and perform tricks on stage. This is not the stuff of David Copperfield. More like a romanticised version of some mediaeval grimoire.
Like the other expansions, this one comes with a pile of cool additions you can buy or build. Instead of a maid or a robot, why not buy a living skeleton called Bonehilda to clean your Sim house? Some of the new objects and furniture are also good to have. Overall, I was left feeling a little less than satisfied, but, being an addict, there`s no way I can do without it.
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