Singles: Flirt Up Your Life

An interactive relationships game, in "The Sims" mode.

If you've ever played The Sims, you'll be familiar with the concept behind Singles: Flirt up your life, but where this game differs is in its very adult subject matter.

At the start of the game, players must select a pair of flatmates from a collection of 13 male and female characters. This couple must live together in harmony, the ultimate goal being to make them live in emotional (and sexual) harmony.

Fortunately, the game's developers have avoided the obvious pitfall of making Singles a disgraceful mixture of Leisure Suit Larry, The Sims and TV's Eurotrash.

Try as we might, we were unable to get our couples to simply hop into bed with each other at the click of a few mouse buttons, leaving us with the realisation that this game is not just simply for voyeuristic titillation.

Each of the characters has a history and a unique set of beliefs that becomes more apparent as the game unfolds. For instance, Enrique the 'Latin lover' (who's really just Mike from Dudley) has no qualms about shirking his domestic duties or walking in on his flatmates while they shower - neither of which are conducive to a happy flatmate.

By playing cupid, its up to you to make sure their foibles don't interfere with the relationship.

The way in which they interact and feel about each other depends on your actions. Because the developers have done away with The Sims' basic list of objectives, (like making sure your characters don't wet themselves) you are free to explore more adult themes.

The rewards of cultivating a successful relationship that blossoms based on your clever guidance is arguably more fulfilling than, for instance, seeing one of your Sims characters make a wet patch on the carpet.

If you've never been interested in 'God sims', Singles: Flirt up your life is not likely to make you change your mind, but for fans of the genre, it provides a well-executed and more adult twist to a tried and tested formula.

Contact: Rotobee
www.rotobee.com

System Requirements:

• Windows 98 or above
• 1GHz processor
• 256MB of RAM
• 32MB DirectX 8.1 compatible graphics card
• 700MB of free hard disk space