The Sims 3 HD

Life’s pretty rubbish isn’t it?

You’ll be going along happily (or unhappily), chatting to other people, performing repetitive tasks, or laughing at something funny when suddenly the thought hits you, ‘What’s the purpose of all this anyway?’

It’s the same feeling that sinks into my brain a few hours into playing the PC versions of The Sims.

Sure it was fun starting that grotesque love triangle between the freakish creations I made (and killing one in a bathroom by removing the door), but eventually a familiar feeling of emptiness and pointlessness would creep over me.

The Sims 3 HD for Ovi skilfully avoids this by offering up a clear set of objectives and an end point, without sacrificing the spirit of the original inspiration, although purists will feel let down at the number of corners cut to achieve this aim.

The game's idea is much the same as the original – you control a Sim who’s just moved into a new neighbourhood, directing them to eat, get a job, go to the loo, and everything else you would normally do in an average day on planet Earth.

You start by customising your Sim’s looks, traits, and persona.

While the visual part of the character creation process is somewhat lacking in options, the mental parts are highly amusing, allowing anything from neurotic maniacs to your run-of-the-mill friendly power-seekers.

Each of these traits and personas isn’t just a cosmetic alteration though. Every choice affects both how your sim acts when not under direct control – a mean-spirited sim will tend to insult people when you turn your back for instance – but also what they want in life.

During the game your sim's sudden desires will pop up, ranging from the fairly simple 'make someone laugh' to the more complicated 'earn X amount of cash'.

Unlocking and ticking off these 73 desires is the main driving force behind The Sims 3 HD, and because each objective takes just a few minutes to achieve, it becomes very hard to tear yourself away from the screen once things get going.

Naturally, the task of getting paid to do a job is still omnipresent, as is most of the other actions that you’d expect your sim to be able to do, like chatting about showers to a neighbour, or kicking over everyone’s rubbish bins in the night.

What isn’t possible though is the customisation of your dwelling – one of the biggest selling points for the PC version.

There is a Build Mode, but you can’t actually build anything – only upgrade your house or change the wallpaper. Likewise, the selection of items is woeful, with most appliances and furniture only coming in three or four styles.

But despite the lack of customisation for the home, the objective-based gameplay and wealth of options for your sim to perform during a typical day makes The Sims 3 HD hard to put down.

And, gives you a purpose for a couple of hours too.