, developed by EA Black Box, is the latest in the line of ‘dollhouse' games, and the first not developed by Maxis. Once you've created your single Sim or Family, you can choose from a number of empty houses to spend your money on.

"The new engine and technologies in The Sims 3 are designed to unleash the player's imagination with realistic looking Sims who have distinct personalities and a seamless living neighborhood for them to discover," added Ben Bell, Executive Producer on The Sims 3.

The Sims, a god-like management title that has made EA Games pots of lovely cash over the years, has been overhauled, fixed, polished and waxed into a shiny new Lamborghini of a game that EA claims will not only appeal to its core fan base but also to the serious gamer.

A truly superb God Sim, this third game in the series brings a plethora of touches that enhance your simming experience. Just don't expect a revolution. This is still The Sims and that's not a bad thing.

EA's stunning life-simulator is back. Easily the best in the series, The Sims 3 is completely addictive and sure to delight fans of the franchise.

The Sims 3

Overall I think the Sims 3 is a very good game to play it's just unfortunate that many people will be disappointed when they realise they won't be able to play it on their computer. I would give it 91%.

Quick confession time, to this point in my career, I am yet to spend any real time in the virtual world of The Sims. Be it the original, sequel, myriad of expansions or My Sims offshoots, all have passed me by due to lack of appeal stemming from an early realisation I could find myself controlling...

The Sims 3 provides gamers with a title that is more evolved and still thoroughly as addictive as its predecessors, giving gamers a greater sense of freedom and an overall refined experience.

How the hell do you write about The Sims 3 , or at the very least, squeeze it into around 800 words? At base level, it is ostensibly the same game as the two that came before it, and their many, many expansion packs, and it is only when you get into the nitty gritty – the real detail – that The Sims...