Even going back to the old isometric days of TS1, a large part of the community has been asking for their sims to be able to run their own businesses. I have been one of them. During this review, we have scraped the surface of what is involved in this expansion that has made those wishes for TS2 become a reality.

You may have got the impression that it can be quite daunting. Well, if every sim was to immediately be rolling in the simoleons with cheetah-fast cashiers and shelf packers on their payroll with highly pricing goods that every sim was prepared to pay for, it would be no challenge.

If you would rather be looking into R&D for your products before you put them on the market; if you would rather dominate one specific corner of the commodities market; if you would rather vie for a corporate takeover through becoming a majority shareholder in a rival corporation, perhaps you would be better trying out "Capitalism II".

If you think the new additions to regular gameplay are worth it; if you are prepared to allow some of your sims to become entrepeneurs with the risk of losing everything; if you want to be the "best of the best"; if micromanagement of wage levels and pricing policies excite you, this expansion pack is right up your street.

Personally, I recommend OFB on all levels.

At the beginning of this review, I said that this expansion pack came only on one CD. Maxis have definitely packed one heckuvalot into it, on some levels almost making this a different game. As many of us dreamed of a day where things could be different and we could run our own businesses, Maxis have given us that difference we wanted.

"Don't push too far, your dreams are china in your hand. Don't wish too hard because they may come true and you can't help them. You don't know what you might have set upon yourself. China in your hand" - T'Pau

These dreams have come true. With OFB, running a business may not be the financial utopia you may have dreamed of and it may require a lot of work to make it become that. As simplayers, we are used to the micro-management of sending our sims to relieve themselves and other such menial functions. OFB is something that the players have been requesting for a long time. Now we've got it and although it might be harder to manage than we thought, it is what was dreamed for.

If you only get half the amount of fun I have had in trying to run different businesses, then your purchase will be worthwhile. With that, I close this review with the recommendation that your sims should feel the buzz of being open for business.

Dag dag!