Parents' Guide to The Sims Mobile

This is a fun little app for newbies and Sims veterans alike, although its basic, no-frills content is likely to appeal more to players new to the series. What makes it fun is having the kind of control none of us has in real life, not to mention more social and career options. On top of that, The Sims' tongue-in-cheek approach is endlessly entertaining -- or it would be, in a non-energy-limited scenario. Buying energy is more or less essential if you want to play longer than 10 minutes. In addition to that, you need lots of other kinds of currency to progress at a decent rate and unlock enough of the game to make it interesting. If you opt for the free-to-play approach, be prepared to sign in multiple times a day as your energy slowly recharges, and be prepared for a lot of repetition at the start. For quite a few levels, all your Sims can do is go to work and attend other players' parties. Oh, they can date and engage in one or two hobbies (if they've unlocked them), but with most of the clothes, furniture, buildings, and activities locked until higher levels, they can't do much else. Things pick up, of course, once you level up (or spend some money), but without spending a lot of time (or a lot of money), you and your Sims are in for a routine as banal and repetitious as most of us endure in real life.