The Sims: Vacation

Clark Griswald once said that half the fun of a vacation is getting there, and maybe that’s the reason The Sims: Vacation is sorely lacking. Hooking yourself up with a dreamy destination—be it a secluded fishing hole or a bikini-covered beach—is wonderfully easy. However, once you arrive, you can forget about kicking back with a Corona. Most of the game consists of endless management, such as babysitting your kids, managing your dough, and constantly mailing postcards to your friends so they don’t resent your ignoring them. In an odd way, all of these annoyances are comforting—they show that virtual vacations are just as crappy as our real ones.