Review: The Sims 2: Open for Business simulation game

If you're a fan of The Sims then you probably won't be reading this.

You're probably playing the addictive little game right now, sacrificing all notion of an actual existence (social life, work, reading quality magazines and so on) in favour of a virtual one.

If, by chance, you've managed to tear your eyes off the game for a second, then you'll be pleased to hear that yet another in a long line of Sims expansion packs has been released to help keep you in simulated hog heaven.

This time the idea is to get your sim involved in a number of business ventures, almost all of which appear to be based in the retail industry.

Naturally, you need a copy of the original Sims 2 installed on your system for the pack to work, but assuming you're already a dab hand at the game, the expansion won't pose much of a problem in terms of learning new controls.

Open for Business allows you to start either a small home-based cottage industry or purchase a vacant lot and build your very own commercial outlet.

It puts you in charge of hiring and firing staff, checking stock and using your business acumen to increase sales.

To anyone possessed of the entrepreneurial spirit we can only say this: put your talent to work in the real world and you might earn real cash.

In fairness, Open for Business is full of the same kind of self-deprecating humour that made the original games so great and maintains its whole sandpit-come-goldfish bowl appeal. Aside from that, there's very little to add.

Sims addicts will almost certainly buy it regardless of what we say, and those who have little or no interest in The Sims will be left pondering the irony of why anyone would want to shell out £20 to go to work in their spare time.

System requirements:
1GHz processor
256MB of Ram
1.5GB free hard disk space
Windows 98/2000/ME/XP