"Playboy : The Mansion"

"Playboy the Mansion" could have been a good buy with a few more months in development to fix the bugs and deepen the gameplay. Give it a try if you are in dire need to try another sim game, otherwise wait for a sequel to come out.

I imagine it's every guy's dream to be Hugh Hefner. What guy wouldn't want a dozen half naked girls following him around all day? "Playboy : The Mansion" provides just about that - images of naked virtual girls. Otherwise the game has no depth and is too easy. I honestly didn't expect anything more than that, I wish I had been wrong. The game could have been good.

Everything Hugh does is right. Girls easily fall in love with him and happily have sex (with their clothes on, which looks plain silly). The guys gladly buddy up with him. Can you blame them? I can understand this happening later in the game, but before Hugh has any fame? Not likely.

Decorating has no meaning. Guests don't care about the furniture. They don't complain about the cheap chairs or small stereo system. Everyone is just thrilled to be in the Playboy mansion.

Photographing the girls for centerfolds and cover shots is amusing the first couple of times. Beyond that their poses become boring and repetitive. Picking out outfits and jewelry did keep me busy for a couple of minutes before I grew tired of it. The bad news is the rest of the game is like this.

The missions are all pretty much the same - get someone to write an essay, talk to celebrity into doing a cover shoot, have a party, have an affair. A little variety is good, at least make the missions harder with each level. That's not asking for too much.

Unless you are desperate for a new game and have played everything else, find another game.