In the meantime, here's a little story: Once upon a time, a princess called Lucy got bored of her posh life, so she downloaded The Sims 2 on her posh computer and loved the ordinary peasant Sims and their lives. But since her daddy gave her a TV and the Harry Potter books, she became a crazy Trekkie and Potterhead who also was a fangirl of a really lame action TV series about terrorism called 24. In her rabid fangirly rage, she booted up the Internet on her computer, learned about the Legacy Challenges for playing The Sims 2, and started her own legacy with Sims named and looking like her favorite characters from her obsessions, naming it... The Obsession Legacy. (rim shot)

She was so vainglorious and obsessed with certain characters in the series she loved, she made many Sims that looked like her and now one of them is married to a Sim based on Remus Lupin.

I never watched 24. A TV series about terrorists never appealed to me. All I know about it was that this guy was supposed to pretend to be dead for 24 hours(the name of the series is based on the 24-hour time period of faked death) and there were a lot of explosions and car chases. Yawnsville.

I have watched episodes of the original Star Trek and The Next Generation, and read about characters from the other two series(Deep Space 9 and Voyager) - I know who the Borg are and how they threatened the Star Trek universe, so I have some experience there.

The most experience I have is with Harry Potter, as I have read all seven books and seen all the movies, two on DVD, three in theaters.

So, what do you get when you turn Sims into characters like those from those three series? Hilarious chaos.

You see, the Legacy states(but I may be wrong) that you are forbidden from dictating your Sims actions. These virtual dollies must act under the randomized control of the computer AI. While the Sims of Sims 2 are far more intelligent than their ancient predecessors, they still tend to go and do stupid things.

For example, in Chapter 37, Lucy whines about the autonomous reaction Sims do whenever a fire breaks out - they run to it and scream and flail in horror, while the ashy fire decimates their needs like hygiene and energy. I have sigged her rant in a forum that dedicates itself to Legacy challenges.

A legacy is where you start with a Sim, marry them off and make them have three or more kids and raise them to adulthood. Then you pick which kid is the heir, move the other children out to the SimBin, and start over, rinse and repeat until you hit the quota number of generations.

The Obsession Legacy is an Alphabet Legacy, meaning that the quota is 26 and each child in each generation is alphabetically named with names starting with that letter. "A" generation babies are named Alice, Ashton, etc.; and B-generation babies are named Betsy, BooBoo, etc

The founder and any family members can remain untill they die from old age or are kicked out.

I applaud the hard work, Lucy. I'm just sure you started this last November, but this story is great. It's sadly also unfinished, as she tends to play through the game to a point, pausing for photo moments.

Go to the address I gave in my last e-mail. No not that one! The other one! Go and vote if the vote opens.

Also be sure to read the Legacy story, if only for the crazy dialoge, chapters you can skipp, and what not.

What I usually do with my characters is play me and Ky. I very rarely play anybody else. I usually play as Ky for a while, level him up a little bit, then create me and play as me. Then I put them together, two struggling people with no money, and have them get married. Then they have babies right away. This is usually what causes my downfall.

But this time, I maximized both me and Ky before I got them married so that we'd each have a bundle of money to bring together when we got married. And it worked! We each had about 200,000 Simoleans when we got married, which gave us a net total of 400,000. Yay for math. And, I know it's really sad, but we got pregnant almost right away and had twin girls! I'm so happy! LOL

Anyway, to make a long story short (too late), I like the Sims. And what's even better is that they're coming out with the Sims 3 in 2009. I can't wait! It sounds like you can customize your Sim a lot more, and you can actually walk around in their neighborhood and visit neighbors' houses and stuff. It sounds neat. It's on my birthday list next year, if anybody is interested! :D

Monday July 7 Constellations 70%

Help the Royal Astrologers explore the galaxy and hunt for constellations to fix the zodiac signs. Choose between two different game modes to suit your favorite playing style - Explore for a relaxed time or Chase for a faster experience. Use different power-ups to gain an advantage, and steer clear of obstacles that may hinder you in your search.

Tuesday July 8 Singularity FPS 60%

Fight the good fight as a blue or red toy soldier, taking control of toys like cars that drive on walls, jetpacks, and model airplanes. Capture the enemy flag by bringing it through your team’s basketball hoop — any way you can. The basic premise of Singularity FPS is that you start off as an electric army man, and work your way up to bigger, faster, and more powerful vehicles. However, as an army man in a BIG, BIG room, there is safety in obscurity. Likewise, when you get a vehicle, you become more mobile, but also a bigger target.

Wednesday July 9 Mystery PI: The Vegas Heist

The heist of the century has just happened! You’ve been hired by the casino to find and return the stolen money before its grand opening… in 16 hours! Search for more than 2300 cleverly hidden objects in 25 hot Las Vegas locations to solve the case and unlock Unlimited mode to search for every hidden object in every scene with no time limits. It’s the perfect investigation, in the coolest location, for the master Mystery P.I.!

Thursday July 10 Crooked Money 1: The Endless War 50%

Sell drugs, pick pockets, steal valuables or fight for territory with others gangsters to gain score. Be a hobo, a honest worker or an assassin, the choice is yours. Get to the top of your career path and leave off your business before you are caught by police or killed by the rivals to win the game. With Crooked Money 1: The Endless War your fun is guaranteed!

Friday July 11 Gaia 3D Puzzle 50%

Gaia 3D Puzzle guaranties you unlimited hours of fun. Because you can play with almost any images you find on the Internet, that means that you can play with thousands of images. Try to imagine the number of hours of fun this game brings you: Unlimited!

Saturday July 12 Blackjack Suite 50%

Blackjack Suite gets you into the game fast and easy. With our game you can begin enjoying one of the most well know card games in history. And while you may think this game is simple, think again. It’s not just about getting 21. It’s how you get 21. Our Blackjack Suite brings casino rules to your desktop. Take a gamble and throw down your virtual chips if you’re feeling lucky.

Sunday July 13 Troll Wizard 60%

You are the Troll Wizard, your mission is to travel to the distant Evil Castle where an evil wizard has taken the troll’s magic crystal. If you do not stop him he will soon bring darkness to the world! Troll Wizard is a fun side scrolling platform game. Travel across 15 levels and fight 5 fearsome bosses spread over 5 different themes like Forest, Caves, Mountains, Haunted Forest and the Evil Castle!

If you see a game you like, head over to Game du Jour on the right day and pick up the game dirt cheap.

The Game
Discipline: Eventing
Horse Care: Yes - brushing, oiling hooves, cleaning stalls, filling water buckets
Difficulty: Fairly easy
Customization: Very little - choice of 8 (I think) preset horse/rider combos
Levels/Modes: 3 levels I think. 10 events/3 modes of play (3 day event/individual event or discipline/multiplayer to 4)
Thrills & Spills: horse bulks, riders does fall forward only!
Graphics: 2D, 4 very clear gaits (no variation),quite simple, not the most realistic (e.g. no posting etc), overhead view only, no inclines

Overview/Review

Riding Star is my first PC horse game and it is one of the easiest. It is a slight step up from that online show jumping game. If you're horse crazy, you will be entertained with it although if you're any good at video games, this will be done in no time. Being older, it works great on old computers and doesn't require any thing new. The rider does fall off if you forget to jump which is quite entertaining...and the dressage is fairly easy. It's cute. The game also features an annoying British announcer.

Free Demo
http://www.kidsdomain.com/down/pc/ridingstar.html