I invited my lady friend over a few weeks ago and introduced her to the Sims 2. She had been a fan of the original Sims, so her interest was piqued. In about 5 minutes of gameplay, she was already hooked to the game and was mad her PC wasn't up to par to run it. Games like Warcraft II and Doom were open doors for me. To her, The Sims 2 really drew her more to PC gaming. In all, I don't blame her, with 100 million copies sold and a devoted (and sometime very disturbed) community behind it. I think what WOW did for hardcore fans, The Sims is playing for both hardcore and casual. Do you want to build a house or design a neighborhood? Do you want to have a small family or the digital equivalence of the Waltons? It is all up to you. It has flaws but eagerly dismissed by fans. Yet, I just have to know something. Do you think that The Sims has the ability to attract non-gamers away from Solitaire and Minesweeper or it is just not enough? Does it have that Wii magic? I'd really like to know. I'll be having my Sim rebuild a car engine while his wife does body work (I wish I was kidding but sadly I am not).