In a nutshell:
The PC and console worlds combine thanks to man's best friend and a mouse's greatest enemy. Create, pamper and train your favoured furry companions in the latest The Sims 2 expansion. The lowdown:
After years of trying to create less complex, mini-game orientated spin-offs it seems EA are now keen to see the PC and console The Sims games converge. This new iteration is an expansion pack on the PC but a full price, stand alone game on the consoles. As the name subtly hints the main addition to the game this time round is a number of four-legged friends, plus fish and birds (although it's really cats and dogs that get most of the attention). You can also create your own personalised pet via a complex customisation tool that's just as versatile as the one for humans and on the PC version you can even send your four-legged friend to work!
Most exciting moment:
On the PC this is a perfectly welcome but very narrow expansion. However the full price console version is actually a considerable improvement on the original with an easier-to-use interface, better artificial intelligence and even reduced loading times.
Since you ask:
The next PC expansion pack is called In Season and seems to be roughly analogous to The Sims expansion On Holiday, in that it'll focus on exterior objects and locations. It's not yet clear whether there'll be a console version.
The bottom line:
Finally, The Sims is made to work on consoles!-HARRISON DENT
