The Sims: Makin' Magic

"The final Sim's add-on pack arrives."

It is time to wreak a bit of mischief with the upcoming expansion pack finale for the Sims original series 'The Sims Makin' Magic'. It is your exciting Sims gameplay with a bit of a magical twist. Your Sims can cast magic spells to improve their love life, play tricks on visiting neighbors, or spice up tedious chores. The sky's the limit with this game!

As with every Sims expansion pack, there are new items added to the decorator set which include moving paintings, creaking stairs, and twisted trees. There's also new Walls, Floors, and Roofs for that magical atmosphere, brand new food items, locations, objects that you can bring to life and dozens of new character skins. With the ability to cast magic to almost everything in this Sims world, there is a price. Spells can go haywire if your Sims lack the necessary skills. Every spell has a unique Backfire, including toad plagues, donkey heads, and lightning strikes which can be interesting to discover when you realise you've turned the neighbour to a frog!

At home you can cast spells to look after your Sims. Use new domestic minions to keep up the house and cook meals: a Skeleton Closet that houses a maid, cast spells to turn the Flamingo into a sexy hostess or the Garden Gnome into a gardener. Revamp your kitchen with an all-new Mediterranean Kitchen Set :new fridge, sink, stove, dishwasher, and a brand new Tea Set. Satisfy your Sims' hunger needs with the Popcorn Maker, Cotton Candy Stand, New Baker's Oven lets Sims bake breads, pies, and cakes and the Ghoul-ash Cart.

There are magic items for your home which includes the Wand charger and Charm Maker, Faerie Toy Box, Magic Crystals, and a Dragon Nest that hatches a Pet Dragon. Create basic ingredients with new skill objects, including the Bee Hive, Spinning Wheel, Butter Churn, and Nectar Press. New Vine Plots let Sims grow and harvest grapes and berries in their yard and make and serve nectar.

This is supposedly the last 'The Sims' expansion before EA begin work on 'The Sims 2'. The Sims fans will probably already have this game and it's a worthy addition to the series with plenty of new items and characters. It brings a load of fun to an already enjoyable title that players can either take seriously or just muck about with the games zany exaggerations of life.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/20/03