I got pretty frustrated with the new Bon Voyage expansion pack the other day. The first couple I sent to Twikkii island did all right, but there were some major performance issues with the next couple. Suddenly the gameplay became very choppy and jerky -all actions would go step-by-step instead of a nice fluid motion. Now, this couple had a lot of memories and friends, I have all 6 expansion packs, and I believe there was the maximum of 8 sims on the lot, so maybe that put a toll on the rendering. I have a 2.4 GHz Pentium 4, 1.5 GB RAM, NVidia GForce 6800 GS/XT with 256 MB memory. I updated the video card driver, and it seems much better now. Unfortunately I’m afraid to try to increase the graphic settings in the game to a higher level; they are currently at the lowest setting.

I got the Sims 2 Bon Voyage Expansion pack Friday (EP6). I never really liked Vacation for The Sims 1, so I wasn’t sure if this expansion would be worth the money. But it is! Your Sims can learn new “gestures”, dig for treasure and find bonus items, explore hidden lots, collect souvenirs, and collect 45 different ‘mementos’ from their travels. There’s plenty of things to explore in the 3 different cultures or themes (the game starts out with one neighborhood per culture, but I assume you can create your own mix when you create your own vacation spots). I’ve found a few issues so far, but overall, it is a great new expansion pack!