Scot goes to work, pays the bills and floods the toilet in The Sims Bustin' Out.

I wanted my experience with The Sims Bustin' Out to be as true-to-life as possible. I created my character with the kind of personality I believed myself to possess, styled my hair and clothes in the way I would normally be expected to present myself and messed around with my face until it resembled something close to the mug I currently wear. After all, The Sims is the world's number one life simulator, so if I was going to play God and mess with people's lives, I may as well corrupt mine in the process.

After successfully creating my personal Frankenstein, I found myself dancing alone at the side of the dance floor in a club. From out of nowhere this saucy little number called me over, seemingly excited about the fact that she supposedly hadn't seen me for ages. No sooner had I wandered over, we were locked in a passionate clinch, sucking the life out of each other. Not one to complain, I let my digital chum get on with it. After all, if I was going to be stuck in playing videogames all night, it was good to see that at least one of us was getting somewhere.

However, shortly after winning the award for "Best Kisser," I awoke from my slumber to the sound of my mother whining about how I'm such a loser and should get a job. Or something. Not one to disappoint Mummy dearest, I rushed to the local paper to look for the career I wished to lead my life in. Athlete? Too much work. Mad Scientist? Err…nah. Fashion Victim? Now that sounds like a particularly easy lifestyle. Anything that only has me working 4 hours a day and bringing home 200 bucks for it has got to be worthwhile!

With a new career ahead of me and an offer to move into an attractive girl's flat, I was on top of the world. Hopping onto my little red scooter I careened down the street in a hurry, excited about the prospect of sharing my own place with Mimi. At least I was until I arrived. On stepping inside I was surprised by just how pink everything was. No, this wouldn't do. A few quick changes here and there and this place would be the lad's apartment every bachelor dreams of.

I was a bit tired though, so before I started moving in my boy's toys, a refreshing shot of caffeine in a cup of coffee was required. Due to Mimi's incompetence though, the espresso machine was broken and a bit of hands-on maintenance was necessary. A few hours later, the machine was fixed and I felt it was time to get to know Mimi better. We sat down to eat for a bit, had a small chat, joked around a little and generally got on well.

Obviously a little too well. Heading outside, I stripped down to my birthday suit in order to relax in the hot tub. Mimi soon followed, whipped off all of her clothes and sat down next to me, engaging in some incomprehensible banter. Well, I was getting a little hot under the collar, so when I heard the doorbell I quickly departed from the steamy tub and ran to the front porch. Upon opening, some white boy from "the hood" stepped inside and introduced himself as Bing. Leaving him to get on with whatever he wanted, I slumped onto my bed for a good night's sleep.

I awoke in time to have a bath, have my breakfast and catch the bus in time for work. Thankfully, I seem to be cut out for this fashion victim career, as upon returning from my four-hour stint at the salon I was granted a promotion as a *shudder* body waxer. Still, things were looking good so I decided to celebrate by throwing a party. Inviting everyone round via the phone, I changed out of my work clothes and prepared the place for an evening of hard partying. The night went well, with the hot tub seemingly the hub of the entertainment, packing a total of four party guests at any one time. I used the fun-filled atmosphere as a chance to make my move on Mimi, who I just knew had been making eyes at me all evening. In a flash of lights, Mimi accepted my advances and love hearts floated above our simulated heads.

I awoke the next morning to survey the results of the night before. It wasn't pretty. There were plates all over the kitchen, flies were nesting wherever they could, the toilet was clogged and some unfortunate guests had resorted to emptying their bladders all over my bathroom floor. Not wanting to clean this mess up myself, I ran to the phone and dialled in the number for the maid, who advised me that they would call round later in the day. With that in mind, I set off for another day of *shudder* unwanted hair removal.

Unfortunately for Mimi, the time had come for me to move out. If I wanted to further my fashion career, I would need to move into a bigger place closer to where I was working. I hopped in my ride and headed off to Studio 8, an art studio populated by a rather attractive female under the name of Charity and someone else I couldn't actually tell the gender of. It was time to move on from Mimi, so I started to get to know Charity and bought her a gift to assure her I was a nice person to live with.

Things were also going well at work. I was able to grab myself another promotion as a nail painter, and Charity and I moved into kissing territory. I built up my body and my creative skills by working out and painting in my free time to ensure I was getting the promotions I wanted at work. Put simply, life was going well. Until that day. That fateful day that will forever cast a black shadow over the office. The day that none of my workmates will ever forget as the day I bawled like a big baby.

16th December 2003. In an attempt to impress Charity, I lit the stove and was to prepare her a meal. However, I was distracted and left the stove to burn until things got a little too heated. Flames erupted from the cooking pot as Charity started screaming and prancing around like a fairy. In an attempt to prove to her just how macho I was, I picked up the fire extinguisher and tried to dampen the flames. However, instead of putting the fire out, I was now physically part of it. I ran around the kitchen as a human torch for a few minutes before falling down, lifeless. All that was left was for the Grim Reaper to arrive and sweep up my ashes.

As you can probably tell, I had a lot of fun with The Sims Bustin' Out. In essence, not much has changed from the fundamental gameplay elements that were introduced in the first Sims game four years ago. Those who can't get enough of the game will cherish every single improvement, added feature and improved presentational qualities that this has to offer. Anyone with a console and dying for an extra taste of The Sims will eat this up, providing a tasty alternative until The Sims 2 arrives next year.

Jonny Austin could do with a God-like hand guiding him through social situations now and then...

Considering that most games tap into our need to experience fantasy lives we could never hope to savour (racing driver, super-spy or crazed bandicoot), it's odd that the biggest gaming phenomenon of the last five years is The Sims - the series in which you can eat, sleep, go to work and do the dishes.

Released in 2000, the original PC game introduced the world to these little computer people, who were able to think for themselves to an extent but unable to survive without player guidance. Three years and a massive seven expansion packs later, The Sims is the gaming success story of the new millennium.

The basic premise of the game is simple. Provide a house for your Sim and watch him or her go about their daily routine, interjecting when necessary to make sure they keep themselves clean, have a social life, do the chores, and get to work on time. You can also use their salary to fill their houses up with hi-tech gadgets and lovely new items of furniture, and socialise with others in the neighbourhood in the hopes of finding a partner.

Earlier this year EA released The Sims on PS2, GameCube and Xbox - a relatively successful port of the PC game, it didn't feel quite right on console. For the sequel, The Sims Bustin' Out (on the same formats again), the developers have gone back to the drawing board and built a title specifically designed for console play.

Of course, the ultimate goal is, as always, to end up living in a dream house full of dreamy objects and a dream partner, but this time you'll go about it a little differently. As usual, you'll begin by creating and dressing your character in the most advanced version of a "Sim-creator" we've yet seen in any version of the game - the possibilities are endless! You can even choose a Zodiac sign and decide which attributes, such as shyness, you want to give your character.

The beginning of the game is quite amusing, as you find yourself in a nightclub indulging in highly enjoyable social interaction with other Sims. Unfortunately this is all just a dream, and you're brought back to earth with a bang, realising that your Sim is actually a loser with no friends living at home with mummy dear.

This leads nicely onto the difference between this and earlier versions of The Sims. It's time to get out into the world. No longer does the action take place exclusively in your Sim's home, but in 16 locations throughout the city, such as a nightclub and military installation which are unlocked as you play.

There are also a number of career paths available, and your success in your chosen occupation is down to the characteristics exhibited by your Sim. For example you're unlikely to make it as a big-time sporting star if your athletic abilities aren't up to scratch. Other options are Movie Star, Crime Lord (we're not sure about pop culture society's continuing insistence that it's ok to be a gangster, we have to say…) and Scientist (that's more like it!).

All in all, Bustin' Out looks like it will provide a console gaming experience quite unlike any other, and importantly, one which will appeal to women as much as it will to men. If you're looking for something more unorthodox for Mum's Christmas present than the usual (tub of Oil of Olay and Totes slipper socks?) then you could do much worse than a copy of the latest Sims game for whichever console you have in the house. And yes, we do get the irony of a videogame where the basic premise is getting up off your sofa and getting out into the real world...

Preview by: Jonny Austin