Although robots can be classed as the new lifeform for TS2, crafted toys also deserve a mention especially as one of them can even do tricks.

As mentioned earlier, toymaking is also a talent-badged craft that also allows you to create different types of toys as you improve your craft. Although toys do not malfunction, you can unintentionally create evil versions of some of the different toys.

Firstly, your unskilled toymaker can make Sir Bricks-A-Lot. Yes, it is a brick, which is hardly exciting stuff, although they can be petted and made to do a trick, although Paul Daniels would probably say after seeing it, "And that's tragic." After making enough of these, your toymaker will get the Bronze Talent badge and will probably never want to make a brick again.

With a Bronze Talent badge, your toymaker can now make Little Heroes Firetrucks and Clowns-In-A-Box. Although the former does not have an evil form, the latter does and your sims can have bad memories from this. Fortunately, the evil Clown-In-A-Box is a different colour so it can be easily identified as such. After making enough of these, your toymaker will get the Silver Talent badge.

With a Silver Talent badge, your toymaker can make a "Twirl, Spin and Wobble", which is a form of roundabout for one child or toddler. It can make people watching it dizzy. Your toymaker can also make a "Brinks' Kite", which is a brightly coloured kite that your sims can try and fly outside if you can find enough space. There is an evil version of this, which is metallic in appearance and can be struck my lightning, injuring or even killing your sim. Definitely something for all of the family. After making enough of these, your toymaker will get the Gold Talent badge.

With the Gold Talent badge, you are now able to make the "Wet N' Wild Water Wiggler", which is a squid-like watersprayer for up to four sims of all ages to enjoy. If you use it indoors, it puddles as this toymaker is finding to his cost. Outdoors, however, it does not make puddles and can even put out nearby fires. The evil version, which is bright red, does create puddles and causes weeds to sprout up.

Hello, I'm John Cleese and I've been brought back by those nice chaps at TSZ to help by looking at beauty salons in OFB. So, in order to understand it better, I took Dr.Phil with me to a salon in Bluewater Village. I did not like the idea of having a makeover myself, but Phil took a seat. The stylist kindly let me have a go.

I must say I was disappointed when Phil told me that he was not at all pleased with his new style. After all, it was only my first attempt. Anyone can style hair. Not everyone can do it well. Just because there is a chair there, it does not mean you immediately transform your skills to those of Lee Stafford, Ricardo Ribeiro or Terry Longden to name a few. (Who?) In order to do a jolly good job of cutting hair and styling, a talent badge in cosmetology might be a good idea. The lower your competancy, the higher the chance something can do wrong and you will not be at all popular

The Talent Badge helps you avoid making mistakes but in order to run a salon, you also the "Ug-No-More Makeover Station", which is a rather posh name for what just looks like a barber's chair to me.

In this chair, you can do anything to a customer you would normally do in front of the mirror to yourself. Hair, makeup, costume makeup, eyebrows and facial hair can all be tweaked to give your customers a new look.

After a while, the chair will get dirty so it might be an idea to clean it. Otherwise, nobody is going to want to sit in that chair. You can also set the charge for the makeover, and the proceeds from which go into the company funds. Any tips for the stylist go directly to him or her so if you have a hired worker, you will not see those tips.

The rest is up to you on how you wish to develop your salon. If you have the staff, you can run more than one chair at a time and if your staff are well trained, people will be very happy with your work. Unfortunately, as I see it, the only way to become any good at makeovers is through trial-and-error. If I was doing this seriously, I'd choose my friends first to practice on before taking on the townies and other strangers.

I will now hand you back to TSZ. I just hope Phil will still want to talk to me after what I did.