The Sims advertises itself as being the #1 selling pc game of all time. I don't know how true that is, but there are a lot of sims maniacs out there. I was one for a short while. It is very addictive, but it gets to the point where there's not a whole lot more you can do. Relationships were possible in the first game as well - of all lifestyles. But it wasn't a very plotted out system in the game. After a while you could have a kid, but i don't think it ever grew up. My sims always died of boredom. Or I'd drown them in the pool, just cause it was funny. (make them go swimming, then take away their ladder. hehe). Funny thing, Sims Online bombed. Or at least that's what I kept hearing. So I never tried it. But you could create your own items and decorations for the sims. So I'm sure they'll incorporate some tool set for doing the same thing, probably to a little more advanced degree, for Sims 2. I don't understand the difference between Sims 2 and Sims 2 DVD Rom version, which costs a fair amount more, from what I hear. But, there is a lot of potential for creating video games that are similar to the sims, from poser people and items. I don't think it would be much fun if it weren't an online game where you could interact with others. But still... Ever since I started really getting into poser I've thought about how cool it'd be to be able to turn the people I make into characters. Imagine the worlds that could be created.