The Sims 2: Pets is based on the PC expansion of the same name. The idea makes purrrfect sense: grab several felines and canines and drop 'em right in the center of a Sim world. "Adopt a dog," as they say. Welcome a new cat into the "family."

Having a strong love for dogs and most living things, I was eager to see how the developers had gone about their animal implementation. Would it be an unofficial nod to Nintendogs? Would it pay homage to the Aristocats? Could it make Lady & the Tramp proud?

Pet adoption occurs at the onset. Choose a Sim or two, then select the pets you'd like take home. Many of the Westminster breeds are available, including the classics (labs, Golden Retriever, Beagle), most terriers (Jack Russell, Welsh, Airedale, etc.), and a few toy group leaders (like Pomeranian). My knowledge of felines isn't as extensive, but most of their major breeds seem to be covered as well.

Up to six characters – any combination of Sims and pets – can live together in a home you'll build from the ground up. Building is not a required. Players can choose to move into an existing home. They can also choose to control an existing family. Joining an existing family is a good way for newcomers to learn how the game works, but you're going to want to create your own life eventually. That's where the real fun lies.

Howl 'N' Pur

Taking care of pets means living a life that meets their needs. They need to be fed and cleaned up after – two of the easiest tasks you'll perform. To feed, simply drop some food into their bowl. Cleaning is a little more time consuming, but the action is no more difficult. Walk over to their fly-covered mess and tap the X button. The clean-up option will appear. Click it and your Sim will get to work.

Silly humans, always pretending to be something they're not.

Don't want to sit through every cleaning session? Hold down the R1 button to speed up time – hold L1 to pause it. Pausing is a good feature to use if you want to assign several tasks to several Sims. It's not really necessary for pet lovers, who are likely to have one or two Sims and a house full of cats and dogs. But if you've got more than two Sims to control, the pause function will be your second best friend. (Your first best friend, of course, is the dog.)

The most important thing your pets need is love and affection. Your relationship increases every time you give them attention. Play with 'em, rub their bellies, and give 'em a nice back scratch. Teach old dogs new tricks. Praise them for being good, but don't go overboard when they're not. You can't blame your neglected cat for peeing on the floor when, if the Sims are neglected, they will do the same thing. Sims won't play in it, but I guess that's a hobby reserved for the four-legged kind.

Your pet's personality determines how they'll react to each situation. It's not a bad idea to have more than one kind of pet – one who's friendly, one who's independent, one who's very aggressive, etc.

"I'm sorry boy. I didn't mean to eat all the kibbles, honest.
If it makes you feel any better, there are still some bits left in your bowl."

Human Simulator

The rest of the game, while very entertaining, is a reiteration of The Sims 2. There isn't a whole lot to get excited about if you've already played that game to death. If you haven't, there's never been a better time for a console gamer to learn what it's all about.

Back at the beginning when pets were being adopted, the game also gave you the chance to generate and customize your Sim. Hit the generator button till you see a male or female Sim that you'd like to control. Next, go to the customization screen to change your Sim's hair color, style, skin color, body type, clothing, makeup, and more.

Sims are just like real people – they're always in need of something. Their needs can be taken care of manually (guide them to the fridge, pick out an item, and eat it) or automatically (switch to another character and let the hungry ones feed themselves). The semi-self-sufficient gameplay model gives you breathing room in what could've been a relentless scenario. As is, The Sims expects a lot from the player -- especially if you want the best house, pet, family, and career possible. Allowing the computer to take over and direct every action would be a mistake. You'd be better off watching a soap opera.

The Sims go shopping, doggie-style.

If you've never seen a Sim argument, you've been missing out. Language barriers prevent a game from being truly "global." The solution: a made-up language of gibberish and excited mumbles. It's their gestures, and the tone of their gibberish, that tell you if the Sims are happy or not. Repeat an action too frequently and your neighbors will not be impressed. More specifically, female Sims will not be swooned by the same serenade twice. You're better off finding something else to say – even at the risk of starting an argument.

Arguments, though damaging to your Sim relationships, are a good way to add variety to your daily conversations. You can patch things up afterwards, which will add life to your relationship meter.

Gameplay: 7.5
If Sim City were the big picture, The Sims would be a tiny (but very detailed) pixel held within the image. It’s a human management game. All Sims have immediate needs, but their long-term goals must also be met in order for them to achieve true happiness. Sims focused on family need to improve the value of their home life. Those who dream of wealth are career- and merchandise-driven – they need to achieve a higher income to buy all the things they desire. Your Sim might long for great friendships, or wish to be more intelligent.

These dreams serve to guide the Sims in their scattered lives. The simple on-screen actions are like an RPG (everything is menu-based), a gameplay style most PlayStation owners should be familiar with. Designed by Will Wright, one of the most creative developers in the world, The Sims is as genius as its city-commanding predecessor. The Sims 2: Pets may be somewhat of a rehash, but it’s a good rehash and is the best console edition yet.

Graphics: 7.8
Good but glitchy. I like to zoom in and out frequently while tweaking my home’s design. As a result, the camera can get stuck in some weird places. The top-down view is the best in the game, but it’s not foolproof. After playing around with the camera for a while, all the walls in my home disappeared. I tried to get them back, but it seemed that no camera movement could correct the problem. Finally I took my dog to the store. When I returned, the house was normal again.

On the bright side, the backgrounds and character models are about where they were on the PC several years ago.

Sound: 7.0
This is one bizarre collection of sounds. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear some of the techno tracks came from The Postal Service – a quirky side project from the lead singer of Death Cab For Cutie. The music is eerily similar to their style.

As always, the Sims have a weird, gibberish way of communicating with each other. Text boxes occasionally tell you what they’re thinking. But for the most part this game is all about listening, thinking, and feeling.

Difficulty: Medium
Sim management is far from easy. You’ve got to be on them 24/7. They get bored, hungry, cranky, sleepy, and smelly – just like the crowd of Wii and PS3 hopefuls scheduled to camp outside Target this November. You’ll have to attend to their needs and make sure they’re cared for (sometimes the Sims, which are humans, feel more like pets than the pets!). Those waiting for next-gen consoles, however, will have to wash and feed themselves.

Concept: 6.9
You won’t be blown away by the inclusion of pets. It’s a nice edition – the more in your Sim house, the better. But they don’t do nearly enough things, nor do they offer enough gameplay elements, to make them more than a sideshow attraction.

Overall: 7.5
The Sims 2: Pets is a must for every Sim fan, and for anyone who thought they could be a Sim fan, that hasn’t already taken the plunge. It’s cool, entertaining, and strangely addictive.