In the game there are 2 modes, "Get A Life" mode and "Play The Sims" mode. In "Get A Life" mode you can create a sim, then choose it's name, clothes, personality, gender etc, and then take it through 7 levels to complete the game and unlock all the extra levels for 2 players and all the items. During this objective-based mode you may have to make him or her cook dinner for mum, learn how to fix the T.V and so on, which can be quite frustrating at times (for example, the sim may not be happy enough and therefore will not read the cook book necessary to be able to cook dinner) but can also be quite enjoyable (the sim doesn't read a mechanical book to learn how to fix the T.V and so gets electrocuted). You'll have to complete around 5 little challenges to complete one level.

   

"Play The Sims" mode is more similar to the original PC version; you can make a neigbourhood and many different families. You can build a house and then let a family move in (as long as they have enough money), so if you put a lot of expensive stuff inside the family will have to be very rich. There are a lot of items to start off with but until you complete the whole 7-level "Get A Life" mode then you won't see all of them.

Once you have completed one of the mini-challenges in "Get A Life" mode you will unlock a level called "The Museum" in which you can compete against each other trying to con money out of people by enticing them (Kissing, complimenting them, giving them a back rub etc.) The only doubtful thing about 2 Player mode is the rather odd diagonal split screen which may be innovative and original but is a bit bizarre!

   

Overall the gameplay is very good. Although selecting things with the analogue stick can be a bit fiddly at first, the way the control options and menus have been mapped to the joypad buttons works extremely well, probably better than the PC keyboard/mouse option. The sims interact well with the surroundings, even better than before, and have some amusing (if occasionally strange) animations, but I spotted the occasional glitch (like not being able to apply wall paper to some walls so you end up wasting money by wallpapering the other side) when building a house. A good, if unspectacular conversion of a strangely addictive time-waster.