Chris on the left, I'm on the right, and the star of the show is Geoff Holland, Acegamez' editor, in the middle. Geoff regularly tells us wild tales of his own 'Nightlife,' so naturally when the latest expansion looked as if it had been based upon Geoff's exploits, well, I'd be silly not to act upon it. So, are you sitting comfortably?

By day, Geoff is a busy man. He writes books, he writes reviews, he even goes through every piece of writing submitted to this site with a fine-tooth comb, to make sure that nothing nasty gets through. In hindsight I doubt half of this review will make it through Geoff's pearly gates of perfection. When he's not writing, he's normally working out or doing other important things important adults do. But something that takes Geoff's priority list on Friday and Saturday nights are the tiles. You see, for Geoff, a night out is like a really good film, where he is the star of the show. He is Tom Cruise and the rest of the club is his epic canvas - where he'll make his mark for sure.

In my experiment, I tried to make appearances very similar, personality traits and star signs the same, I think I even got the dress sense down to a fine art. My alter ego took the popularity aspiration, Chris got the family aspiration and Geoff got the new aspiration in the Nightlife series, the pleasure aspiration. Where I might get points for making friends, Geoff gets points for having a good time dancing and being the centre of attention. His fears include working and generally not having a good time. [My God, this is uncanny - it really is a simulated me!! Ed] I like this new aspiration - you can create new characters with it or buy a re-programmer, which allows you to switch aspiration sets - handy if you have old characters that suddenly fancy a change of lifestyle. Characters you've already made also come equipped with a special potion that allows you to set your turn-ons [Hmmm, I have a long list, most of which is unprintable! Ed] and one turn-off [NO FAT CHICKS! Ed]. If you make a new character, you can set their desires right off the bat.

So we bought a nice car, nothing too special, because we aren't the richest of Sims, you know? Buying a car is the best way to eliminate that rip-off taxi merchant and the quickest way to get to work. Well, maybe not the quickest if you decide to take a shower when you should be setting off. With a car, you can be fashionably late! But we didn't have to work. Chris was selling his paintings off, Geoff was working on marrying a rich Simess and I was counterfeiting money with the counterfeiting machine I bought in my University days. We went out on a nightly basis - but Geoff wasn't having too much luck with the ladies, which was unusual but true. In fact, he seemed to start off really well but then tried it on far too early, which always ended in tears. [So that's where I'm going wrong! Ed] The pizza delivery girl who also has a partying flair wasn't too impressed with Geoff's swim short hug approach and took an instant dislike to him. It wasn't until Chris hired a cleaning maid, Macaria, that things actually started to look up. Besides, where else can you find a minx in a some-would-say sexy outfit for only a few dollars an hour? [Too… many… wisecracks… flooding… mind… Ed]

Although Geoff wasn't showing any lightening bolt attractions to this maid, their personalities really clicked and underneath it all, she was pretty kinky too. Her interests included kissing in the hot tub, playing in the hot tub and going under the water in the hot tub. I never saw Geoff complain once, either!

Geoff and his new playmate were having fun. They'd go on dates, the date meter would come up and before the end of the date the bar was through the roof. The dating and attraction meters add a challenge to the dating game; you have to really impress your date, by walking a fine line between talking and romancing, as well as having a fun time and maybe ending the date with a bunch of roses. If the date is successful then your date lets you know how good you were and if they'd like it to happen again. They might even give you a gift in return for a nice time. If it all goes pear shaped then you'll either get the message and find another partner, or be stupidly persistent until you get a slap. Ah, the joys of dating.

So, while Geoff was really getting close to this bombshell, Chris and I were missing those crazy AceGamez nights. Geoff's wants and fears revolved around Macaria, who he no longer needed to pay, but still felt obliged to. "I want to ask her on a date, I don't want to lose her." With much persuasion we managed to get him away from the romance and back out onto the tiles. No points for guessing what happened next!

Oh, it was like those love at first sight stories you read about. She was over there, talking by the dartboard, while cupid had fired his own dart at Geoff - the dart of love. The hearts above Geoff's head meant a few things. He was turned on by her figure and her blonde hair. His turn off was women with grey hair, I think I got that right, didn't I Mr. Holland? [It's not generally the most appealing colour…. Ed]. Another peculiar thing was that Geoff was actually attracted to her, lightening bolts and everything. Was this blonde babe a better choice for Geoff than our hired help? As this picture shows, the Charm emote is complimented by the bolt. This means that the beautiful blonde will probably respond well to this emotion and that Geoff stands a good chance with her altogether. Remember, the maid had none of these bolts and Geoff was about to make one of the biggest choices of his Sim life.

. .

You're probably wondering why we're half naked on half of these shots. I blame those hot tubs in clubs. Your Sim changes into swimwear but not back into clothes after having nicely simmered for a while. Chris preferred to keep his shirt on though; he's saving himself for his good lady back in the real world over in the States. One of Chris's wants while at the shopping emporium was to go and get his photo taken at the photo booth, one of 125 new items added in this expansion pack. He went for the 'goofy' pictures and, as you can see, they turned out quite well! Some other items in this expansion include the DJ booth, Karaoke Machines, Bowling alleys and Dance Floors - pretty much what you'd expect to enjoy on a real night out. If you've ever played the Hot Date expansion with the old Sims, then it's pretty much the same in terms of item content

Anyway, I digress. Geoff moves in on this blonde, he clicks with her, just like the lightening bolts said they would - but in fine Sim tradition, things started to go wrong. That OLD BAG there in the background was ruining everything. Mrs. Crumplebottom is her name and she is out to purposely ruin your fun. You can't do anything to her, except listen to her pointless lectures, which seriously pose a problem when you're trying to catch the eye of a desirable Sim. You can't influence her to go clean, which was introduced in the last expansion pack, but is now available in Nightlife too. You can't do anything. I, to this day, blame that woman for ruining what could have been between Geoff and the blonde. Maybe Crumplebottom is there to stop you cheating on your lovers…? Naturally, Geoff was turned off by Mrs. C's grey hair.

So we said goodbye to the blonde, never to see her again. Maybe she got turned into a vampire? But we'll cover this spooky enigma later on. The game now allows you to make outing groups. You can add four of your family and friends to the group and then invite the whole group for a proper outing, which is scored and timed similar to dating, or just for fun, which is a no pressure, footloose, good time trip to the clubs. The group system, I feel, is there for a reason. Sometimes you'll go to the busiest nightclub in town only to find that there's hardly anybody there. Admittedly, each lot picks up after a few Sim hours, new Sims wander in until there's quite a crowd - it's just a crying shame that a Nightclub doesn't load with dozens of Sims already dancing there. Obviously a group counters this problem, because you're bringing four personas to the destination.

Our group consisted of us three and the maid, who Geoff is now seeing again. The maid is none the wiser. Geoff's heart always did belong to Macaria anyway; even while getting off with the blonde, his wants and fears were still in the hands of the brown-haired hot tub mistress. [It's like they took my life and put it in a game! Oh, hang on, they did… Ed] So, Geoff drove the entire group to the bowling ally, that well known lively, fun, hip place to be! I must have told a joke, because upon leaving the car, I got some stares. Either that or I'd just passed wind.

You know, there's actually a matchmaking Gypsy in town who helps you find a partner that you'll click with. She asks you to make a donation of any amount between nothing and five grand. Donating a small amount will only bring you misery, as the powerful crystal ball won't do much good for a fiver. Take the other extreme, five big ones, and a perfect match drops from the sky. Geoff almost went the whole hog here for a third girl. He backed out at the last minute though, because, if he was honest, he'd actually fallen in love with the maid; life was perfect, she was perfect. We had loads of money thanks to my counterfeiting skills, a nice place to live, a car and dozens of destinations downtown for Geoff and his group to enjoy and live life to the full. Back to the alley then, where sparks are flying and balls are rolling!

In Nightlife there are a load of new interactions that you can use anywhere. On the dance floor you can start a funny dance that will get everybody joining in. Think YMCA. [I was dancing to that just last weekend lol, not to mention Greased Lightning, Saturday Night and the Macarena! Yes, it was apparently cheese night… Ed]. And with new items comes new interactions, plus you can request tunes from the DJ, or even DJ yourself! There're also loads of new music stations and categories to wiggle your bottom to. There are many things to do downtown, which is the heart of Nightlife. Pictured we have bowling alleys, nightclubs and Geoff eying up birds, but the actual game has shops and restaurants that both offer unique nights out. Sit down, have a meal, fill your boots - it's all part of the fun. Even more so, you can build your own little paradise spot downtown. A swimming pool party maybe? Sounds like a good idea to me! [Me too! Ed]

Possibly the best feature of Nightlife is its integration with University. Young Adults can also form groups and go out on the town, which really plays havoc with their grades if you're not careful. This is like expanding upon an expansion pack, adding more challenge to the original University gameplay. Items from University, such as the musical instruments, can also be used downtown, meaning that you could in fact build a concert area, form a group and get your group to play on stage together, with the audience captivated in awe. I mentioned this to Geoff and Chris - Geoff took no notice though, he was too busy kissing as seen above. [I do play piano - although admittedly haven't practised in a VERY long time… Ed] It's a good job Geoff isn't a vampire though, or the above position would almost be too perfect for a tasty bite of the neck.

Wait a minute! He is a vampire! [Crap! How did that get out? I file my fangs down regularly! Ed] You'd play the overdramatic old horror movie music here if you were going to. But how, how did he become a Vampire? And why, why did I let him become a Vampire? Well, I can answer the second question without breaking a sweat. Let's call it payback for the Northerner mocks in my University review, shall we! My evil smile would go here too. [Then you bridge your hands and tap your fingers together, chuckling in a quiet but maniacal fashion. Ed] Geoff simply became a vampire by hanging out in the vampire nightclubs and getting bitten.

In a few easy steps, they were both Vampires. This could put some people off love bites for a while as being a Vampire is quite a challenge. You obviously can't go out in the day or you'll die. So replace your bed with a coffin and only come out at night. However, when it comes to nighttime, you are the master. You've rested all day, so you're ready for a full night of partying. It's quite a good day to experiment downtown actually; becoming a vampire allows you to fully explore the depths of the nightclub without losing energy to what those mortals call fatigue. Other than good nights, vampires don't do anything else other than go around saying Bleh and biting other people, spreading their lifestyle. [But not to just anyone - only the coolest people get to live forever! Ed] Gypsy sells a potion to cure this though - if you don't like your newfound teeth.

Graphically the game hasn't changed much. New textures for new objects of course and lots of well-themed nightlife looking wallpapers, outfits, floor tiles and stuff like that. Everything still looks touchable, new effects are in place to compliment the whole vampire transformation, while nothing else is really better or worse. Nightlife maintains its original lifelike appearance. The sound for the most part is superb, new music stations make going out on a night a lot better to hear. New voice sounds for vampires again and lots of new sound effects to compliment the new objects. I have come across the odd sound issue though, such as pausing the game and then coming back to it, only to find out that my Sims have no voice. Apart from that however, everything is hunky dory! With a host of new features, The Sims 2: Nightlife comes highly recommended to anybody who's a fan of the game - you'd be a fool not to sample the fruits of your labour!

I've really enjoyed telling you Geoff's story. Now I have to come up with some kind of moral to it all. I suppose he could have gone for the blonde haired babe with more attraction points and all - but he followed his heart and went for the maid. When all is said and done, that takes some balls in its own right. And the ending to this tale? Well, she moved in, Chris went back home and united with his good lady and I moved out to type the whole thing up. They both got rid of the vampire form and lived happily ever after. Of course, we still meet up from time to time, and Geoff somehow always manages to persuade us to form a party and head out on the town for more wacky and wild adventures. But that, my friends, is another tale for another time…

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