The Sims: Makin' Magic announced

With The Sims 2 coming next year, EA Games has announced the "expansion pack finale" for The Sims. Things take a magical turn in The Sims: Makin' Magic after the MagiCo traveling salesman arrives at the player's house with the magic starter kit. The expansion adds a variety of spells and charms that can be unlocked one by one to perform parlor tricks, refresh sims by filling their basic needs, enter into magic duels, and summon minions to perform chores around the house.

Unlocking new spells will involve new kinds of adventures in Magic Town. There, sims will be able to take on quests to earn the most powerful spells, perform at a variety of magic shows, and duel with other sims to earn MagiCoins, which will allow them to buy spell ingredients. There are new characters that sims can trade with and purchase ingredients from, including gypsy vendors, the vampiress, the local apothecary, and the faerie queen. Each spell also has a unique backfire effect that can make troublesome effects appear, such as toad plagues, donkey heads, and lightning strikes.

Naturally, there are plenty of new objects in the expansion, and not all of them are magical. While the wand charger and charm maker will come in handy for any aspiring magician, others will put the new cooking items to use, such as the baker's oven, which can be used to make pies and breads. The household minions will also be of great help, as there's a skeleton closet to purchase that houses a maid, and spells can summon a gardener or a sexy hostess.

We'll have more details on this upcoming expansion as they become available.