Where to Find Walk Through, Cheats and Download Help for The Sims

So you've broken down and brought "The Sims", the best selling PC game of all time. You brought them home and chances are you didn't even play with the Newbie Sims. You've created you own Sims and brought them a plot of land and... NOW WHAT ?!?

Confusion reigns and you can't quite figure out how this game works. Take a deep breath, close the game (Yes, I know it takes forever to start again, trust me on this.) Head onto the internet for help and cheats, it will save you hours of frustration.

First head over to Maxis's own site TheSims.com. You are going to want to download a number of items to make your life and your Sims life easier. Click on the "Get cool stuff" link and download "The Sims File Cop", you will notice a variety of other downloads like "Make-a-Date and "Hot Date Object Organizer". Download whatever looks interesting and goes with what expansion sets you bought with your Sims. Check out the "Exchanges", this is where Maxis let's you trade, or download hot dates and lots other people have made. Chances are good you will return here often. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of info here about how to actually PLAY the game, for info and cheats you need to go elsewhere.

A good place to start is About.com. This site has lots of information on many computer simulation games, and has very good answers to all those annoying questions that come up about your Sims, such as : How do I get my Sim a pet dragon? They also have lists of links to other sites where you can get more cheats and download historical Sims. I found myself visiting this site often just after getting the game in search of clues.

Thesimsresource.com is another nice site. Unfortunately you have to register to use most of the site. Registration is free, but the free registration doesn't unlock all of the sites features.

The Sims, isn't a game that really requires a walk-through since it's so open ended, but it does have an enormous amount of " Easter eggs". Easter Eggs are things hidden in the software for players to unlock. Want to get Santa to visit your Sims and leave them presents? Or visit the hidden lot at the top of the magical bean-stalk? The Simsstash has a list of Easter eggs that will amuse you.

Cheats can be found at Simsbox.com. Just about everything in your Sims world can be changed according to your will, from the time of day, to giving your Sim 1000 Simoleons.

IGN has FAQ's and walk-through's that will help you get your Sim started. Marty's Bachelor Sim FAQ, on how to make a successful single Sim get to the top of the career ladder is something I wish I had found much earlier.

While you are checking these places out, it's a good idea to print out anything that looks useful. The Sims is a game that can run very slowly at times and that makes minimizing it to pull up a website not so much of an option. Having things printed out will save you much frustration.

There are very many websites dedicated to playing the Sims and downloading neat stuff for them. Far too many to even count, much less describe. You'll need to be careful of keeping track of what expansion packs you have unless you have brought the complete set. Maxis released the Sims2 in xxxx and you'll want to be careful about that as well. "Making Magic" was the last expansion pack released for the Sims and lists of the other seven can be found on many sites, including about.com

Whatever sites you decide to visit, one thing is certain, the Sims may not have come with the best set of directions in the world but more than enough help is out there !