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Genre: Sim

Format: DVD

Developer: Maxis

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Mac Publisher: Aspyr

Minimum System Requirements: Mac OS X v10.3.9, 1.0GHz G4/G5/Intel Mac, 256MB RAM, 32MB video card, 3GB free hard drive space, DVD ROM

Review Computer: 1.33GHz G4 iBook, 512MB RAM, 32MB ATI Radeon 9550

Network Feature: No

Processor Compatibility Universal

Price: $34.99

ESRB Rating: T (crude humor, sexual themes, violence)

Availability: Now

Official Website: www.thesimsstories.com

Aspyr invites you to unleash your inner beast while taming your pet in The Sims Pet Stories. Continuing to expand the Sims series, Aspyr ventures into the realm of guided stories, asking game players to fulfill certain quests and requirements before moving on through the pet stories.

In Pet Stories, you retain full, god-like (or more than god-like, if you're into self-determinism) control of your Sim, Alice (or Stephen). In that respect, Sims gameplay is essentially the same as it has been throughout the franchise. However, now you have a scenario to complete rather than merely achieving your bliss. Your Sim finds him or herself in possession of a pet—over which you manage some control—and a series of tasks to fulfill to complete a storyline. In addition to a storyline, you have a new and sometimes faithful companion. Your new pet is faithful in the sense that it is your furniture that gets destroyed, and your carpet that gets soiled when the pets follow their natural urges, although at times your pet might find your friends more engaging than you and take a walk or simply wander away together for a while.

Pet Stories represents a new direction for The Sims, and a potential new draw to the already incredibly popular series. Some gamers who could not get into the open-ended, touchy-feely original version will find the goals here more of a challenge than simply managing to get to work on time. I found myself stuck for an inordinately long time trying to see a ghost needed to move the game forward as Alice. Careful reading of the prompts and item descriptions is needed. At times it can be too clever by half, and a few hints would be helpful (I switched to the other scenario after spending hours stuck, unable to see the aforementioned ghost). But this new, task-motivated Sims draws your attention in a way the original did not.

Prompt your Sim to act by clicking on him/her to reveal a circular menu of options, including calling friends or a service, or developing a talent. Or, click on an object around the house to clean it, turn it on or off, or otherwise interact with it. Retrieve the paper to work the crossword or get a job. Turn on the computer to play a game or get a job. Read a book for pleasure or to improve your skills. (I recommend helping Alice learn to cook and clean. She is not a housefrau, for sure.) Satisfy your Sim's physical needs by bathing, eating and using the restroom, and meet his or her emotional needs by calling over friends.

Especially engaging is your relationship with the pet. You do not Sim-control the pet. He or she comes and goes, plays and eats, almost entirely ignorant of your existence. This is except for the dogs, who really seem to depend on your attention as if it is oxygen (because that's how dogs are). Your pet becomes more responsive to you as you become more responsive to it, and over time the number of commands you can successfully execute is affected by your relationship. Your praise, playing, and petting all contribute to your pet's responsiveness. Here also the Sims series shows its keen insight into human—and pet—psychology. Not only kindness and belly scratching forge the bond, but you can improve your relationship with your pet by scolding and correcting it at the right times, too. Like a real pet, it wants to know its boundaries, and if you find your dog chewing your divan, you can let him have it. Not the divan of course, it's yours. By "let him have it," I mean yell at the dog. Your relationship will improve if you also purchase a chew toy, and praise him when he chews it instead of your furniture. In this way your pet becomes more independent and responsive.

Over time, your talented pet becomes more than a nuisance, timewaster, and enemy to your floors. Train it correctly, and it can become your defender and your meal ticket. As you achieve goals in the story and in terms of your personal happiness, the post office delivers tools to use in the discipline of your pet. Happy is the day when your pet see-saw arrives! A new realm of commands awaits.

Pet Stories advertises that it is optimized for better performance on a laptop computer. I do not know how the other Sims franchise games run on the laptop, but Pet Stories quickly drained my battery, eating up 5 to 7 minutes of battery power each minute of gameplay. Sure, the handy battery indicator was helpful, but battery time will have to be better conserved before this game can be considered truly laptop friendly.

All in all, Pet Stories is a successful variation and improvement on an already standard-setting game.

Purchase The Sims Pet Stories