The Sims. The title is a little misleading. The idea that this series is a simulation of real life is more than a little far-fetched. The walk of life this most resembles, if it does at all, has to be a comfortable middle-class suburbia. This is very much a family friendly affair. Everything on offer is safe. There are comedy burglars but no violent murderers, rapists, or child molesters. Coming from the cartoon ethos which spawned classics from Disney and Warner Brothers rather than the grittier Anime offerings. But we love this. We love how safe everything is. It is charming. World Adventures is an expansion which will take your Sims from the comfort of their homes and place them in lands of adventure and exploration…in a safe and family friendly way, of course.

This expansion provides three new towns, China, Egypt, and France. Yes, I am well aware those are countries, not towns, but this is the Sims and that’s just how it rolls. Okay, fine, they do have made-up names for the places but you get the idea. Once upon a time developers could effectively use the same map over and over and just change the name. For a recent example see the first Assassin’s Creed which depicts a horrible period in history when a single architect existed and the only building material was sandy blocks. These new areas do feel like different countries when compared with the regular towns you have directly out of the Sims 3 box. Beside the most noticeable difference, the architecture, there is a distinct cultural divide which makes for more than just a simple change of scenery.

Your Sims have visa points which are used to travel to the new locations. When you create a new character they will be restricted to only a few days each time at any of the destinations. After time, and the completion of more and more tasks, you will gain enough visa points to stay on holiday for longer periods. You are able to get rid of your camping equipment after a while and purchase a holiday home.

I say “holiday” but that really depends on what you want out of your trips abroad. If you feel that the life of Indiana Jones is one for you then you’ll no doubt appreciate time spent in search of hidden treasures. The best thing about the adventuring side is that the puzzles are actually solved by the player rather than pointing a Sim in the correct direction and sitting back until they’re successful. If this hands-on approach is anything to go by we could see similar detail in future expansion packs. Perhaps a job-related expansion in which the player must actually take control of their Sim as they go about their work. That wouldn’t be to everyone’s taste but it would certainly be a huge advancement in the series.

If you’re the type of person who watches movies such as Indiana Jones and yearns to experience the thrill of adventure in a videogame format you should turn your attention towards Tomb Raider or Uncharted. However, if you’re interested in adventure but would prefer a less hands-on approach, and most importantly happen to own The Sims 3, this expansion pack could be the very thing you’re looking for.

8/10

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