I'm not an avid PC gamer, but I've always loved that classic PC series The Sims. When The Sims 2 came out, I was truly in my element. Superb graphics, advanced building technology, and to say the gameplay is addictive is an understatement. You only have to wander off to the PC section of AceGamez and look at some of my unique Sims 2 expansion reviews to see how much I love the series. When I heard that The Sims 2 was coming out for all the major platforms, part of me was excited, and the other part of me was dreading it; I've yet to play a console Sims game that tops the PC version.

Unfortunately, part of me was right, and not the excited part. Maxis have done a marvellous job of creating The Sims 2 on console - the graphics look just as good, if not a little wackier, and the sound is amazing. The addictive part from the PC version however, has been lost in translation. The Sims 2 on the consoles really does feel like a chore, with too many sloppy problems and not enough game backbone to keep casual players entertained for long.

Creating a character is the first hurdle you'll undoubtedly come across. You simply 'generate' a male or female Sim, and before your eyes, various portraits of family members will appear in true Fruit Machine fashion, working its way down a family tree until your Sim is generated. The whole process takes just under 15 seconds and I can almost guarantee that you won't generate a Sim that you're happy with for a long time. I tried to get a Sim that looked like me, I was generating Sims for a good half hour until I settled with a slightly blemished me and I wasn't happy; I would have rather spent thirty minutes actually creating a Sim from scratch. If you look at my Sims 2: Nightlife review, you'll see that I made Sims that look quite a bit like Geoff, Chris, and I. To generate the three of us on this game could take anywhere between a few minutes, or a few hours. To be fair, once you've generated a Sim you're happy with, you can dress them just how you'd like - from hairstyles to swish shirts and from sunglasses to fancy watches. Even if you can't get a look-a-like Sim, you should be able to dress them with your own personal fashion sense. There are plenty of clothing garments to unlock and equip, which is very nice consolation prize.

There are two gameplay modes on offer; a Freeplay mode, which is supposed to be just like The Sims 2 on the PC, where you make your own story up - or the inappropriately named Story Mode, which is supposed to be just like The Sims 2 on the PC, where you make your own story up. Wait a minute! That sounds exactly the same! To be honest, it is.

If you've played the PC Sims 2 then you'll know all about aspirations. Basically, a Sim has ever-changing wants and fears on the PC version, and if you happen to fulfil a want, then your mood improves and you get special points to spend on special objects. This is nice optional part of the gameplay - I wouldn't say it's the best aspect of the game, but it's a lovely addition and keeps things fresh. In The Sims 2 for the consoles however, the wants and fears become the story. You have to go around, meaninglessly fulfilling all your Sim's wants, while avoiding his or her fears. You'll find yourself bouncing on the trampoline, or painting a picture, just because that's what your Sim wants. Then your Sim might want to make a friend, which brings me onto the social system.

On first glance, the social system looks fantastic. The camera zooms in on you and the person you're talking to, and you have access to a menu full of available actions, as well as a little point meter. If you impress a Sim then the meter fills up and eventually you'll have a friend or a lover. You'll soon find out which emotions give you the most points - the Impress emotion might give you five points on the meter, whereas talking might only give you three, and others will give you a small few. Suddenly you find yourself pressing impress over and over again, seeing the same gesture (balancing a vacuum cleaner on your nose) over and over, which becomes very tedious very quickly. On the PC version you set your Sim up talking, switch to another player and maybe cook something while the other guy talks. In this game you're forced to watch the conversation! Considering that you cannot understand a word that either of the Sims say, it's almost like watching two foreigners repeating themselves. Why does that crazy French guy keep on balancing a vacuum cleaner on his nose? [Answer: Beee-cuz ee's French and crazeee! Ed]

As you gain points from fulfilling wants, you unlock new locations to visit thanks to the Taxi service, as well as items to purchase and clothes to equip. New locations are great for a nice break from your home, and offer forms of Sim entertainment - essentially this is the equivalent to the community lots that come on the PC version. Unlocked objects can be used in Free Play mode, where you don't have to fulfil wants and fears, but you will anyway. The only difference with Free Play is that you can start off with a large family to control and you can build your house from scratch. In Story mode you acquire new characters to control from making friends, but gaining the control of more Sims means that you'll simply have more wants and fears to contend with - while this should be hectic in a fun way, it just gets monotonous, in a very bad way.

Controlling your Sim fares a little bit like a platforming game. You run around, third person, interacting with objects. You can walk about your house, around the community lots; you can even speed up time, which essentially makes your Sim run faster. But running around soon becomes as dreary as running around in real life. You'll soon need a shower, so you walk to the shower, then you might need something to eat, so you run to the kitchen, then you might have to take the trash out - so you acquire the trash and then run outside with it. Bah! Some people get paid for doing this work. While this sounds like any other Sim game, the console version really does feel like a chore, rather than an addictive simulation. Speaking of work, you have to get a job in this game, in order to buy some amenities. However, unlike the other console games where you can actually participate in mini games for money, you just walk to the carpool and then come back nine hours later with some money. Yawn. The best PC innovation has been removed - in a nutshell, it's been dumbed down.

The sound department, thankfully, is fantastic. There are loads of comical sound effects used in conjunction with many interactive objects - the surfing machine sounds like a day at the beach, with funky Hawaii Five-0 sounding music, which, I believe, was used in one of the original Sims expansion packs. Music is top notch and the rest of the effects make every object sound real, from picking up the trash, to slamming down the bin lid. Maxis have always done a proper job when it comes to sound and the console incarnation of The Sims 2 is no exception.

The graphics for the most part are fantastic. Neighbourhood and community lot design is done in that fantastic hybrid of the real and cartoon worlds that The Sims is famous for. It's a shame that you can't explore the full neighbourhood and that you are restricted to your lot - I would have loved being able to cross the road and find secret locations. Every object is designed well and each has its own little animations, which makes them memorable for the right reasons.

This version of The Sims 2 doesn't do the PC version any justice whatsoever; it really is a poor adaptation. The type of player who will enjoy this game is the one who plays to unlock things. This is your type of game, because there are hundreds of items to unlock and use, which you will have to work for. Other console Sims games are probably better than this, because they actually have a proper story - such as the quest to become a renowned celebrity, or to move out of your mother's house and to become a successful Sim. This game is almost like running around, waiting on your poor old frail grandma - who really isn't poor, old, or frail - and is having a good laugh at your expense, while playing on your sympathy. "Fetch me this, Dexter" or "Be a dear and make me a meal, Dexter". Although, one of these days I'm going to crack, turn around, and put her in a home! Maybe renting this game would be a good idea before you actually pay money for it, and when you return it to the store, it probably will feel as good as submitting your demanding granny to the home. If you must play The Sims 2 but you don't have a PC, or if you simply live to unlock things, then you might find some joy in The Sims 2. Otherwise, stick with the The Sims 2 as it's meant to be - on the PC where it belongs.

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