"The Sims 3" takes some big steps forward for Simkind, allowing players to influence and interact with an entire town of gibberish-speaking Sims to their heart's content.

"Fascinating" might be the best word for the game – the various Sims interact in surprisingly complex ways based on their personalities, and it's entertaining to watch them do what they do, whether they're at work or on personal time.

Players can pick a prefabricated household of one or more Sims, create a random Sim or craft a family using the game's expansive Create a Sim options.

Age (infant to elder), gender, features, hairstyle and several sets of clothing all can be customized – and edited later. There are dozens of materials and patterns, and a virtually unlimited array of colors that allow each Sim to have its own look.

Players move their chosen Sims into a furnished or unfurnished house, or onto a bare lot for constructing a custom home. Homes and lots can always be changed and improved with enough money.

Each Sim can be given several traits, such as Green Thumb, Inappropriate, Great Kisser, Grumpy, Slob, Artistic and Athletic. A Sim's combination of traits determines personality and autonomous actions, and what its Lifetime Wish is.

Each Sim also has Needs and Wants. These affect a Sim's mood: A Sim in a bad mood will be discontent and won't perform some actions at all. Events that affect mood often leave behind Moodlets, bonuses or penalties to a Sim's mood that last a certain amount of game time.

Wants are a good way to boost a Sim's mood and contribute to its Lifetime Happiness points, which can be used to buy special traits that, say, make it free to eat at restaurants or, at the high end of the scale, grant the ability to teleport across town.

Being in a very good mood feeds points directly into the Lifetime Happiness score while fulfilling a Sim's Wants – like taking a class in gardening or simply having a chat with a spouse – gains points.

Lifetime Wishes are like a super-Want, granting a huge boost to Lifetime Happiness points, and like Wants, they're tied strongly into a Sim's personality. A Family-Oriented Sim may want to have a large family, while an Artistic one will probably want to create a masterwork.

"The Sims 3" now features an online store where players can purchase points to spend on new items, clothing, hairstyles and so on for their Sims, though the game's built-in options are considerable and can be easily customized to look unique. New players are given $10 worth of points when they register the game.

PICKS AND PANS

GUITAR HERO SMASH HITS

2 stars

A compilation of songs from "Guitar Hero's" pre-"World Tour" installments, "Smash Hits" takes a selection of tracks from the previous games and updates them for play with a full guitar-bass-drums-vocals ensemble.

It's good to have an opportunity to take tunes such as Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out" and Queen's "Killer Queen" out for a spin with a full "band," and all the songs here are master tracks, replacing the covers that were common in the earlier "Guitar Hero" releases.

"Smash Hits" has a good mix of songs from the early games in the series, even if notable tracks by David Bowie, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dick Dale and many others didn't make the cut. The Music Studio song-editing mode makes a return, along with the other play modes from "World Tour." Nonetheless, the full-size price feels steep for a release that's little more than a song pack – especially when so many of the songs in it were first featured in games less than 2 years old.

Microsoft Xbox 360 (also for Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, PS2); $59.99 ($39.99 to $59.99 for other versions) • Age rating: Teen

SWORDS & SOLDIERS

3 1/2 stars

A clever take on the real-time strategy genre, "Swords & Soldiers" has players take command of Viking, Aztec or Imperial Chinese forces and fight it out with another faction on a 2-D side-scrolling map.

Each faction has a base on one side of the map, and units they produce simply march toward the other side, fighting any opposing units along the way.

If they reach the end of the line, they'll attack the enemy base until it's destroyed or they are, so sending out a proper mix (or at least a constant stream) of fighters is a must. Gatherer units stay near the home base, venturing into mines to find gold for research and unit construction.

There's a separate solo campaign for each faction, in which the player battles through several missions while coming to grips with the various units and special powers of their chosen people.

For example, Vikings have berserkers and ax throwers that can be prodded into a rapid charge, healed by the gods or aided by bolts of lightning from the blue. The Aztecs use slow-working poison, send out fast fighters armed with clubs and summon stone giants to smite their foes. The Chinese field swordsmen and can call down a rain of burning arrows. Each side has several more units and powers as well.

Nintendo Wii (WiiWare download); $10 (1,000 Nintendo Points) • Age rating: 10-plus

– Justin Hoeger