My feelings on The Sims are best expressed by the memorable quote from Michael Corleone in The Godfather, Part Three: “Just when I thought that I was out, they pull me back in.” My Sims addiction has been an on/off affair, something as quickly dropped as its started. That being said, I’ve invested well over 100 hours in the game and continue to get excited with each announcement of a new release in the series. Just recently, The Sims was taken to the consoles to great success, and the real bombshell was dropped – the inevitable development of The Sims 2. Considering that the original game has been out for over three years, I’m not sure why that comes as such a shock, but because of this, The Sims: Superstar expansion pack will probably be the last one released. But hey, it makes for a very nice exit.

The Sims expansion packs have been hit or miss since they were conceived. Early expansions did little more than add new household objects, careers and maybe a theme – usually partying. Later expansions, like Vacation and Unleashed, completely changed the game and added new areas and gameplay elements in addition to the usual host of new items. Superstar follows this new tradition of reform; giving your Sim the chance to make it big in Hollywood as well as rub elbows with some famous faces. It does this the same way Vacation gave travel options; you call a cab on the phone to take you to Studio Town, the happening place of the movie, music and fashion industries. Becoming famous takes much more than talent, although it’s going to be your talent that opens doors. Being a star takes a combination of performing well and performing for the right people. Schmoozing with A-list celebs and being seen with them in front of the press will be just as important to building the legend as singing and acting well in front of celebrities and talent agents. There are numerous new inclusions to the game to help handle this new goal. The traditional paper at the front door every morning is now supplemented with a tabloid rag that lets you find an agent, see who’s hot and who’s not (i.e. who to be seen with and who to avoid) and find opportunities to break into the biz. Unfortunately, things get unduly complicated fast. Because not only are you trying to be the next big thing, you also have a house and life to maintain. This means not only juggling all the usual Sim tasks, such as reading and learning important skills, preparing meals and keeping entertained, but also getting a job to pay the bills and keep the house in good shape. This means working a job, managing the Sim’s life and in the off time perhaps getting a shot at the big time.

Because of this new angle, Superstar is really geared towards Sims nuts who have gotten sufficiently good at the original game to be able to micromanage all the usual things in addition to the new search for celebrity. You can be a novice and still enjoy the new selection of household items, though. With a wink towards the superficial existence of most current celebrities, the new inclusions are geared towards living a faux and ‘hip’ lifestyle. Expensive oxygen bars are yours to install in your home, becoming the life of the party. Massage tables, indoor scuba tanks, wind chambers and karaoke bars are just some of the new entertaining sideshows. Gold toilets, hundreds of new art objects and a round of new appliances help to show of the big bucks you’ll be rolling in. The new household objects aren’t necessary – are they ever? But they’re fun and fans expect them from any new expansion pack; in this department Superstar also triumphs.

The whole idea of Superstar is just to act as a coy nod to the entertainment industry, and it does a good job of it. The expansion pack certainly adds plenty of new things to do, as you’ll spend many hours heading around the various hot spots of Studio Town trying to get one more leg up. The folks at Maxis have also pulled a very cool coup and gotten some celebrity likenesses inside the game. Now you can talk to and get autographs from such noted celebrities as blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe, eccentric art genius Andy Warhol, and current teen music sensation Avril Lavigne (whose fame should be fully receded by the time Sims 2 hits store shelves). This opens up all sorts of fun opportunities to create interesting parallels. I had plenty of fun making a character named John F. Kennedy (and has a surprising likeness to him, thanks to downloaded skins) and introducing him to Marilyn; they seemed to hit it off well.

Although Sims expansion packs have been either very good or very bad recently, Superstar does a great job of creating a solid evolution. It isn’t revolutionary to anyone who’s owned other expansion packs for the game, but it adds very cool new gameplay angles and some really fun new household objects. At a price that drops all the way down to $20 at Best Buy, you can’t ask for much more.

Since it’s an expansion pack, Superstar still uses the main meat of the original. And since that original is over three years old… things are getting increasingly less pretty on the graphics front. The character models retain that blocky look, textures are simple and the game lacks any sort of modern visual flair, like reflections. This stuff is still easily playable, but it’s really beginning to show its age.

The visuals are getting less impressive with each trip out, and that’s ditto for the sound. The classy collection of elevator music and Sim gibberish has prompted thousands of requests to turn the sound down. It’s charming; it’s fun; it’s incredibly annoying. If you’ve played The Sims long enough, you’ve no doubt become accustomed to the music by now, and the nice jukebox MP3 feature has been added – if you manually add the MP3s to the correct folder. But there’s no denying that this mix of easy listening and made-up languages isn’t for everyone.

For what it costs, Superstar does a very good job of extending the Sims experience. The replay value can’t be measured in just the time it would take to conquer the extra challenges the expansion lays down, because if you’re like me, each new expansion release prompts a full re-entry into the game’s addiction. I usually go on long several week binges of Sim gaming and then drop it cold, waiting for the pang to hit again. In Superstar’s case, I built a new house, started a new family and entered the Sims world all over again. If you’re judging only what Superstar has to offer, then you’ll still be pleased. The new celebrity element will take many hours to try and topple and the new house objects add to the never-ending pursuit of the American dream home, meaning you’ll more than get what you pay for.

Superstar does a better job than Unleashed at introducing a solid new gameplay experience to a game that finds itself harder to find new things to do with. While I blame the success of these expansion packs for delaying my Sims 2 fix, I nonetheless find myself giving this the thumbs up for purchase. The game comes highly recommended for both old standby fans as well as new users enticed by the recent release of Sims Deluxe, and when it’s as low as $20, you’re sure to get your money’s worth. Go pick it up, then hit on Andy Warhol. The virtual Andy Warhol…