The third and most recent expansion pack for the hit game The Sims is called Hot Date. The title is appropriate, for this add-on is all about the social lives of your Sims. (To make up for our lack of a social life as we spend all our time playing The Sims!) Unlike the previous expansion packs that only added items, careers, and building options (Livin' Large and House Party), Hot Date has a list of new features for the game.

With Hot Date, you can now take your Sims Down Town. There, you will find restaurants, bars, parks, ice cream shops, hot dog stands, and more. You can take your Sim Down Town alone, or you can invite family members to go with you. You can even arrange to meet your friends and acquaintances. As the title suggests, your Sims can now date. You can even try to get your date to come back home with you! Just as in real life, it is a good idea to take a quick shower before asking someone for a date. It will improve your success rate dramatically.

You get Down Town by calling a Cab. The fee is $50 to travel (one-way) anywhere you want to go. Down Town has 10 lots. Similar to the lots in your neighborhood screen, each area is unique. The game comes with Down Town lots already built, but you can also build your own. Each lot has enough space that you can build several establishments if you wish. If you would like to travel from one lot to another, you again go by cab. (And pay another $50.) You will also use the Cab to get home.

When you go Down Town, time for your game stops. If you have played The Sims even once, you know that there is rarely enough time to do all that you want and need to do. If you plan wisely, you can use this feature to your advantage. As long as you have enough energy, and you eat occasionally and use the bathroom while you are Down Town, you have no time limits. If you do all your socializing Down Town, and most of your eating there as well, you will have more time at home to work on job skills and other tasks. Except for and relationship changes, you will find your game exactly the same when you arrive home as you left it.

Once Down Town, there are many activities you can do. To name a few: you can shop for clothes at a clothing boutique, dine in a fine restaurant, browse for books or buy magazines, or have a hot dog from the corner stand. As long as you have money in your account when you leave home, it will travel with you. (Make sure you have enough to get home!) You can also buy gifts to take home and later give to friends or loved ones.

Hot Date has a variety of characters you can only find Down Town. There is a party animal, jock, blonde bombshell, party girl, two Latin lovers, a wall flower, a nerd, and a moody romantic guy. There are also "Townies"... normal Sims except that they live Down Town. Once you have met them, you can invite people over to your house without first having to create them in your neighborhood! This will save time, as you can jump right in and start working on your own character.

If you want to build your own lot Down Town, you get there from the neighborhood screen. You can not build when you are there with one of your Sims. Building in Down Town is similar to building in your neighborhood. You select floors, walls, and items to use. Some items, however, can ONLY be used Down Town. The hot dog stand is an example of this. There are a handful of important rules to know if you plan to build successfully Down Town. Certain types of buildings need certain employees. You don't need to worry about that directly but you do have to buy certain items that are important to the business. When you build a restaurant, putting in a sink will hire a dish washer and a podium will hire waiters. Clothing stores must have cash registers to hire cashiers. You get the idea.

Believe it or not, there is more to Hot Date than Down Town. Sims have always had interests, but now there are even more of them! You can have your Sim learn new interests by reading magazines that you buy Down Town. This can help your relationships because Sims get turned off when someone talks to them about a topic that does interest them. The game now has a lifetime relationship meter, in addition to the regular relationship meter. With this new feature, you are able to build a long term relationship that can withstand temporary setbacks. Just like real life, you will sometimes argue with an old friend or lover. While the relationship at the moment is sour, your proven history with that person is still there.

For me, the most challenging new aspect of Hot Date is that there are many more social interaction options. Instead of talking, you can talk about interests or gossip. For complimenting, you can admire or worship. If you would like to entertain someone, you can juggle, tell jokes, or put on a puppet show. For kissing and hugging, you can choose from a range of actions from friendly to intensely passionate. As your relationship progresses, you will have more actions to choose from in each category. Choose wisely, however. If you try to move too quickly you are likely to upset the person you want to become friends with.

Hot Date does comes with some neat new stuff to play with. There is a fish pond. You can place it in your backyard, or in a park Down Town. You can even feed the fish. There is a picnic basket, ceiling fans, and a lover's swing. You also have port-a-potties and bathroom stalls. As with the other expansions, you get more wallpapers, more floors, and other items to build with. This version has a flat roof option that the others do not.

I know that I am probably leaving out tons of things that deserve mentioning, but I am ready to log off and go play the game! I recommend you do the same.

Recommended: Yes