EA has finally done it: They've turned me into a Sims fan. Well, sorta. I mean, I liked the Urbz — for DS. And I love MySims, which isn't a Sims game at all. But, as the producer intimated when he demonstrated Sims 2 — Castaway for DS at EA's holiday event last year, I do love the game because it is all about taking care of a single Sim, not micromanaging a complex world of them. And someday, I just may let her off of the island.

The game begins with your standard "going on a three-hour tour" story, but something goes awry. You are knocked into a cargo crate and head out to sea! From there, it gets worse (as if being sealed inside a cargo crate on board a cargo ship and heading to sea isn't enough). The ship is tossed about in a storm and runs aground on protruding rocks, and you find yourself lost on a series of islands.

You have only the clothes on your back, your wits and, well ... this box that washes ashore every day with useful items, several other castaways to call on (this island is bad luck) and an amazing array of items with which to build everything the cast away should need to survive and get home.

Not do be outdone by granddaddy Sims titles, Castaway has six motive meters to let you know just how your Sim is feeling: hunger, energy, social, comfort, hygiene and bladder. (The day I don't have to worry about my Sim's bladder is the day I start playing more Sims games — but yes, I understand; it is in place as another time management device — couldn't we use say nose-picking instead?)

Each has a simple green /red line that indicates how full/positive your Sim is feeling. And, each can affect the other. Low on energy and hungry? Eat the right food, and both will go up, but expect your bladder to enter the negative. Depending on the food, your comfort level may drop. You'll be eating a lot of bugs in the beginning, so this is common. Some of the fish you eat my drop your social level — eeew, tuna breath! Keeping these six meters finely in tune is the key to the entire game.

Your goal: well, to get off the island, of course! You begin by learning to explore, make your first lean-to, grub for bugs, forage for berries and the standard castaway occupations. The user interface is very well-designed and remarkably easy to use. When you come on something new, a light bulb appears above your head. Instructions are available to read.

Incredibly, you don't need to read to understand the instructions. I was shown this early in design but didn't quite comprehend as the icons had no context for me. Although instructions are great for me, every instruction in the game is really a series of recipes. Put A with B to make C and so on. Instructions are text, but pictorial instructions also are available. I watched a 6-year-old pick up the game and understand how to play in no time at all.

Although the game is linear, it gives a feeling of openness. You will have to complete certain tasks before being able to go on to others; however, you may have 2–3 tasks open at any one time. A word of caution: Have a DS in good condition. The screen on mine is wearing out, and I had a tough time with a task because it simply wasn't picking up me squashing bugs. I popped the game in another DS and cleared it on the first try!

Your tasks will vary from cooking, cleaning and dyeing clothing (stinky clothes make for poor hygiene), growing food, building items, fishing, making music, decorating the island and forming relationships among a plethora of other minor tasks. Oh ... and a LOT of exploring. The map you build during your explorations is great. Need to get home in a hurry to sleep (you can save when you sleep)? Just tap on that area of the map, and whoosh, you're there. Wake up and need to get to the fresh water to wash? Whoosh, you're there.

Most activities are presented in minigames of a sort and are quite enjoyable once you get the hang of it. Bugs are found beneath rocks. There are 15 different colors, and not all bugs are under all rocks. Also, different bug colors move at different speeds. If you want to catch all of the bugs (they have different properties for painting, dyeing, eating, medicines, etc.), you're going to need to clear three waves of bug per rock. But that means clearing the FIRST wave. So ... you've got to smoosh the fastest first. It takes a few times per rock to determine just which bug is the fastest under that particular rock.

Spear fishing is amazing. Fish have different patterns and speeds of movement. They also are different sizes. They exist in different places throughout the island — there are freshwater and saltwater fish, there are nocturnal and diurnal fish. Some only appear in the early morning, some only when the moon is out. It really is quite cool.

You'll dive for underwater items (crab is yummy), use hot springs for dying, visit other islands and do whatever you can to make the other castaways — who never really seem to do anything but NEED things — happy. All with the goal of eventually getting home.

My favorite part? This game has three saves. After 15 hours, I have less than 50 percent of the collectable and am just now visiting the third island. If I had to make my kids (or a significant other wait) play, I'd never have gotten to this review.

Part Harvest Moon time management, part Puzzle Quest questing , part Rayman Rabbids mini-games and part Sims socializing, The Sims 2 — Castaway really does have much to offer gamers of many genres. Be careful not to start playing before bed — it'll keep you up at night just TRYING to get that danged mango for the doctor or to open the door with the crowbar. Who knows, maybe you'll find yourself saying like I am ... yeah, I like The Sims ... sorta. *grins*