SimCity Societies

While Simcity Societies didn't blow our minds with its simplified version of the city building simulator, it was engrossing enough to wile away the hours. So if you've been on the fence, the good times are rolling in with this deep introduction to the game.

The tutorial is a little bit patronising, but it does fill you in with anything you could want to know about building your little town into a vast metropolis.

Once you pass it, you're given free IRjt reign to create somewhere wonderful to live. This is done by creating housing, jobs, places to relax, and areas that add creativity and prosperity to the town. As these attributes grow, you're able to build more complex things, always having to balance the statistics of the town with the power that it drains from your energy sources.

SimCity Societies is very much SimCity Lite. Once you've clocked the tutorial, the town opens up, and you'll be able to complete various tasks for trophies, and unlock more buildings to up the creativity and productivity of your town. You can also zoom into the micro level and watch your happy Sims walking around town, if you really must, but when we played, we just got the urge to smack them. That said, there is an odd satisfaction in watching their little faces light up when you bring a big blockbuster to the cinema.

Anybody can sit down with this demo and enjoy it - not just city-sim nuts - and decide on whether they want to pick up the full game in time for the new Destinations expansion pack.