I wouldn’t call myself a true fan of The Sims series. From the outside looking in, I couldn’t understand how directing people could be fun. Oddly enough, it was fun ordering people about to do my bidding. Mwhahaha — cough, cough. Granted, I had a blast playing The Sims 2. Who wouldn’t if they took the time to understand the system? I admit that I have been interested in My Sims: Agents for awhile now. The main reason was the television commercial I saw. I love spies. And I really wanted a good espionage game. Sadly, My Sims: Agents doesn’t deliver on that front.

My Sims: Agents is not really an accurate title because the protagonist you create is really a private investigator. So My Sims: Mysteries or My Sims: Investigators would be more accurate. Anyway, our hero runs around town and surrounding areas solving people’s problems. Yes, there is an overarching plot: It is your job to discover what the hideous corporation of “Morcucorp” is doing.

If this sounds simplistic, it is. I cannot make it sound more complex than it is because you can probably guess each and every turn with accuracy. But the writing is well-done. And there are often little quips that will bring a smirk to many a gamer’s face. I found myself playing just to see the different locales and the people I could encounter. Granted, each spot is a checklist of gaming locations. Sure, certain locations could have done more with them (including the zombie in the bayou area). Ultimately, though, it is just fun.

My Sims: Agents is essentially an adventure game. Unlike other Sims games, there are no little meters of health, happiness, hunger or anything else for that matter. You just run around town solving problems. You start with a crowbar, a magnifying lens and a wrench. They all get upgraded to a second level very quickly (there is no third “upgrade”). Yes, you will use them all during your cases. The crowbar helps open doors and crates (just shake the Wii-mote). It later enables you to move items around so you can reach new places. The magnifying lens allows you to follow footprints. And the wrench allows you to remove loose parts from machinery to repair a necessary piece. You also get to pick locks in a simplified version of “Traffic Jam.” Hacking into a computer system basically involves you keeping the cursor on the glowing green path. And forensic work is combing balanced compounds. Out of all of the tools, the one I have the most beef with the magnifying lens. The upgrades it “receives” are only used once and never again. To me, it defeats the purpose of doing so. Why have all these cool gadgets when I don’t really get to use them?

But let me make this clear about the adventure stuff: It is never confusing or hard to get into. On the contrary, everything moves very intuitively and quickly. It’s almost impossible not to know what to do as My Sims: Agents continuously holds you by the hand, gently pointing in the right direction like an Irish setter. Puzzles are quick and painless. You might scratch your head for a few moments, but it’s nothing some trial and error cannot solve.

There are “secret agent” missions for your recruits to go on. Each mission has different requirements, and you can increase their various intelligences by placing furniture in the HQ in order to increase success. If only furniture could be used to that effect in real life ... a lot of problems could be solved. I digress; it is fun thing to do on the side. However, you will not see any of these missions play out in front of your eyes. Instead, you will read about them via text messages. The upside to this is that it shows off the game’s strong writing. The downside is that you are always sent a message to make a choice about something concerning the mission. It is basic, but it is fun while the main storyline is going on because it isn’t at the forefront of your attention. When there is nothing else to do, it is the worst aspect of the game.

Graphically, My Sims: Agents is rather lo-fi and cute. It doesn’t push the Wii’s graphical prowess on any level, but it does move very smoothly. It makes up for it in charm. It’s a cute world, as if it was something a child would create. The wind sometimes blows in the distance, water ebbs and flows, dust follows your character when he runs and characters wander around town. The problem is simple: The Wii’s user interface looks more sophisticated than the My Sims: Agents. Ultimately, it works. The charm just over powered me, and I was unable to resists the pull. Who can blame My Sims: Agents in that regard?

Sound wise, everything is rather decent. You will hear your character’s footsteps as he runs from point A to point B. Characters speak Simspeak over various things. Sound waves and electricity are heard when you’re in the downtown section of town. Furthermore, ambience is the name of the game. This is not to say there isn’t music; your avatar needs to be close to a boom box or television to hear it. There’s the chilly winterscape music. DJ Candy and her bumping dance music are sure to make most people groove for a little bit. And there is the oddly uncreepy bayou music.

Overall, My Sims: Agents is a disappointment if you’re expecting a spy game. There is no real spy stuff to do. However, if you ignore the name of the title, My Sims: Agents is an odd success. The charming characters, well-done (but predictable) writing and puzzles make it a joy to play. In other words, it is nothing more than a traditional adventure game. But it is a very accessible adventure game.

The downside is that for about $50, there are only 9 hours of gameplay — even less if you have a little bit of adventure skill. Thus, it is a difficult game to justify. My hardcore instincts tell me that I wasted my time. When I was 10, games were hard and you replayed the same seven levels over and over again. Some were even “epic” for the systems that they were released on. Regardless, each time you played, you learned a nuance of the game that made it a bit easier. But what is appropriate for the 9-11 age group 15 years ago is far different than today.

If you’re a fan of the adventure genre, you’ll probably be disappointed by the lack of challenge in My Sims: Agents. But if you have someone in your family, such as a significant other or a child (or even a friend), and you want to teach them the joys of adventuring, this is the game to pick up. It is like Goldy’s porridge: My Sims: Agents is just the right length for its age group. In that regards, My Sims: Agents is gold. So if you are an older gamer, rent it. If you have 10-year-olds, then it is an easy game to justify. But for me, I’m done pretending to be a secret agent for the time being. I’m going back to my usual gaming habits of hunting down unmentionable horrors and kingdom saving.