Pets was addicting for my nieces 11-14, dollhouse & pet interactions kept them entertained for hours
The challenges of the individual needs of the sims were never fully understood, and they kept having to be revived by paramedics. Thank goodness for the cheat codes that gave them hundreds of thousands of dollars, since I am not sure it would have kept their interest as long if they would have had to go through and get jobs and such.
That said, it would be nice to have an "easy" mode where the individual needs and simulation pieces were not a factor so kids could just play with their pets and make their dream homes without worrying about everyday sort of needs.
I personally was addicted to the first Sims when it came out for the computer in 2000, so I knew the ropes for the game and was able to guide them, but even my wife had troubles initially building the house and decorating and such. The only reason I am deducting some points from the score for this game is because the controls are a bit frustrating at times, and the wiimote seemed to detract rather than add to the experience.
Overall, however, the Sims continues to shine as an addictive gaming experience.