I've been playing the hell outta MySims. It's really addictive, which is weird because, basically, all I'm doing is running around making furniture for people.

The main hook is how creative this game allows you to be. When you begin building a piece of furniture, the game will provide you with a 3D ghost image blueprint for that item. You can follow the blueprint or you can make the item any way you desire, just as long as you put blocks in the areas containing little glowing stars and you don't build anything in the item's interaction area, like the area where the Sim sits or sleeps.

You'll need to hunt for Essences so you can decorate your items. Essences can be found all over your town and are obtained in four ways: interacting with other Sims, picking them from trees, fishing for them, and prospecting for them in certain areas. Essences also determine how well a particular Sim will like an item you've made for them. Essences come in six types and each Sim has particular types they like and dislike. For example, a goth Sim will love an item decorated with Spooky Essences, but will probably hate an item decorated with Cute Essences.

The game suffers from frequent lag, but being that it's not an action title, it's not a game breaker. If you're a creative type and realize that this is really nothing like any of the other Sims titles, I think you'll enjoy this game.

Now excuse me while I go spend some more quality time with MySims.