The original game was a "life simulator". You made little computer people and helped them live their little lives. Those little people- Sims- can think for themselves, but to make the most of their little lives, you have to intervene. Gradually over time you can build up a neighborhood of families and tell your own stories about what's happening. The game was released in 2000. Hot Date added a downtown area- completely different from the household game. Now you could send your Sims downtown to eat in restaurants, go to parks, buy computer games, shop for new clothes- and you could BUILD the restaurants, the libraries, the parks, the shops. Vacation added a vacation area, with nine resorts you could send the Sims to. You could also build these resorts. Unleashed made the neighborhood much bigger and added in "community" shops- not the big shops downtown, but little mom and pop deals right in the neighborhood. It also added gardening and pets- before that, only fish were present. Superstar added sort of a "Hollywood" area to the game, and allowed your Sims to become big stars. The links above will guide you to reviews that will explain the game better. There are also links to good websites for usermade downloads for the games- new clothes, objects, etc. I have a few of my favorite lots for download, too.
