So what's the difference between the handheld versions of The Sims and MySims? Well, for starters, MySims seems more possessive when you say it out loud: "Keep your grubby mitts off MySims!" But the main real difference is that MySims can actually be fun in short bursts. MySims don't need the toilet, MySims don't even really bother eating and MySims would go without sleep if I asked them to - MySims are a new generation of caffeine addicted Sims, possibly robotic, passably living without bladders in what seems to be a world made out of Lego, or the cheap Lego derivative, Mega Bricks. But maybe MySims don't need any justification as to why they don't feel the urge to mop up urine when they see a puddle of it in the street, and while one justification might be that MySims don't have OCD, I think the fact of the matter is that MySims is more like a game and less like a simulator, and to fans of The Sims that might take a bit of swallowing.

On the DS version of MySims, you start off as a girl or a boy who's just moved to a small town that you can call whatever you like. Although the introduction is quite long, having to plough your way through dialogue as to why you want to live in this small town and help out, once you get into the game it's all plain sailing from there. The story is that you want to help populate the town and bring lots of tourists in to benefit the residents and tradesmen. Shopkeepers want to make money and policemen want some motorists to catch and kidnappers to ignore. It all seems very innocent, and it is - dare I say, this innocence can be fun, too.

But then, like anything in life, one person's love can be another person's hate. You see, after the long intro and the story that you have to get tourists into the town, you're on your own without much guidance. You have to use your noggin to get people into the town and this might include talking to people and cheering them up, planting flowers and making the place look more pleasant, playing and unlocking more mini games, or running errands for folks around town. Of course there are a lot more things for you to discover, but not knowing what you should do next could leave the younger player a little lost, as we all know that thigh-high gamers like a little direction when it comes to their gaming hour.

As you improve your town's rating, the game does get a little easier however, because more people start moving in and visiting, so you have more people to cheer up, talk to and help. Helping people helps your wallet gain a few extra pounds, then you can buy furniture, clothes, gifts and accessories, which is great if you enjoy a large degree of customisation in your games. MySims is littered with mini-games, from ones you'll encounter on a regular basis such as the talking game, where you have to please somebody before the timer is up, to ones you play when you're bored of pleasing people, such as skydiving. Some mini-games use the touch screen, the buttons, or a combination of both, and it's great to finally play a Sims game on a handheld that isn't just a GBA port that hardly uses the touch screen. No, MySims is all about touch it seems; you can talk to people and interact with objects just as easy as you can walk or change clothes, all with the stylus.

The graphics are quite quirky on the DS and I think that's why people are getting it confused with Animal Crossing. The fact of the matter is, MySims is nothing like Animal Crossing in my eyes, as Animal Crossing is more about pleasing yourself and getting along with others, while MySims is about pleasing others and not really looking after yourself at all! The bottom screen mostly features 3D animations of your Sim walking or running around, chasing other Sims, exploring forests or lounging around in your shack of a house, while the top screen can act as many things, such as a top down map or a night and day cycle clock, which alters the look of the game, with dull mornings, bright afternoon, dark evenings and black nights, which also affect the gameplay too; certain things and certain people come out at night, and various events occur different times of the day. The sound unfortunately isn't much cop, as the Sims don't really speak Simish until the end of the conversation mini-game and the backing music to each segment of day is annoying at best, but typically you'll be too busy smelling the roses that you just planted in your town than catching a whiff of the stinky sound effects.

Even though MySims has mostly received my praise up to now, I'm still not entirely convinced. While EA have done away with having to attend to your own basic needs, you now have to be at the beck and call of everybody else's needs, and this could be the first Sims game with a shelf life, because once you've got your town's rating up and you've unlocked and got bored of the mini games, there isn't really much else to do. However, despite its shortfalls, I think EA have given birth to a superb new Sims franchise and I'm sure that it will be a big seller this Christmas, along with the Wii version. Best suited to short bursts rather than extended errands, MySims comes recommended to those who like lots of freedom, choice, customisation and eccentricity in their videogames.

Reviewed by Dexter Pearson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).