Bruce Von Stiers

There are a whole bunch of folks who are out there playing The Sims. It has been one of the top selling games of the last couple of years. There have been several expansion packs released for the game. The latest expansion pack is called The Sims: Vacation.

This new expansion pack gives your Sims characters a needed break. Have a Sim couple go on a romantic getaway. The macho Sims can kick it with an extreme vacation package that includes snowboarding or surfing.

With this new expansion pack, there are several kinds of vacations to take. You can go to the beach, take a forest retreat or hit the slopes for a winter paradise.

As with its predecessors, Vacation adds 125 new items to your Sims inventory. Pretty soon, you’ll need a series of warehouses to store all of the items added to the game by the expansion packs. Each one seems to add 125 plus items to the inventory.

Decide where you want your Sims to vacation at. Call up a taxi and take it to your destination. Check into your hotel and start having some fun.

There is something called a super souvenir that can be gained if you stay at a vacation spot long enough. Have your Sims participate in carnival games to win a prize or two. If you are into snow and cold climates, try out the half-pipe with your snowboard. But you might be on the lookout for the Beach Shark when plopping down on the sand. He might want to get really up close and personal. Grab a tent and pitch in a clearing in the woods. Fish off a pier on the lake or play volleyball at the beach. Give the little ones something to do by having them build a snowman and then taking him apart.

As with other elements of The Sims, with Vacation you will have to nurture your characters. Make sure they have enough to eat. Give them activities to do or they will become bored and agitated. The kids should have fun or they might just make the parents vacation time miserable. Have your characters make friends on vacation so that the relationships can carry on for some time afterwards.

As the Sims characters can take their children on vacation with them, there are a whole bunch of actions related to them. A child can hang out with their friends and do a lot of whispering. If they are in a bad mood, then the children will do things like act out or kick a parent. A parent can scold a child but doesn’t seem to have the ability to whop ‘em on the behind if needed.

There are several new Non Player Characters in Vacation. Unfortunately, you still can’t interact with them. They will sell you a hot dog, or give you a prize but don’t expect the vendor to ask if you want kraut on your dog or if you’d like the green giraffe or the pink tiger prize.

The Sims: Vacation is a thoroughly enjoyable addition to the Sims architecture. Now that I have all of the expansion packs loaded, there is no telling how much fun my Sims will have.

.The Sims: Vacation requires The Sims in order to play it.

The Sims: Vacation can be found at retailers like Target and Best Buy.

To find out more information about this game, or others in the Sims series, visit www.TheSims.com.