By Matthew Rorie
Design by Collin Oguro

The Sims needs no introduction--it's only the most successful PC game, well, ever. It sold around a gazillion copies, spawned a truly absurd number of expansion packs, and introduced the world of "real" PC gaming to millions of people who might never have encountered it otherwise.

And now, we have the debut of The Sims 2. This sequel sticks to the tried-and-true formula of the original game: you're still required to guide your Sim through the hazardous world of careers, romance, and family, all while attempting to satisfy his or her most basic desires, such as those for food or sleep. A number of additions have been made, though, ranging from the large, such as multi-story housing, a full life cycle for your Sims, and a new Aspiration system, to the small, such as alien impregnations.

Whether you're an old hand at The Sims, or are new to the series, GameSpot's unofficial guide to The Sims 2 is intended to be a complete resource for the game, detailing all of the major features in the game. Within these pages, you'll discover what impact a Sim's traits have on his behavior; how much money you'll make as you advance in any given career; how to get your children into that elite private school; how to throw a party; and the proverbial much, much more.

GameSpot paid subscribers have the privilege of downloading a searchable and printable version of our game guides. Our guides are in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format, and they're laid out so you can print them out and have them at your fingertips as you're playing.