We get back to our review of Bon Voyage with a look at some of what is available in normal neighborhood play for sims. Once again, Heather Miller's journal tells us about it.

With a few thousand simoleons left over, we could have afforded another brief holiday. I really wanted to see Takesimu.

Dad, however, had other plans. He spent a lot of what was left on improving the house and then buying a car. He even had the nerve to have himself photographed next to it. If he had to spend money, some proper clothes might have been an idea.

From finding that I was more conventional than I had believed, I changed my image a little bit. I also heard rumour that digging for treasure in your own back garden could be as productive as digging a hole on a vacation resort. So, with my shovel, I walked to a neighboring community lot and got to work digging. Yes, that's me. I'm really a redhead. Within a couple of hours, I'd dug up rocks, stones, some squeaky bones, ornaments and a few treasure maps. There was one to a pagoda near Takezimu Village and other to some hut on Twikkii Island. I could have sold them for §400 each, but I chose to keep them. All in all, an afternoon's digging netted me what could have been a couple of thousand. I could have done this at home, but my rebellious nature had decided against it. After all, you've got to fill the hole back in at home.

I heard of a new general store that claims to sell everything. They say it sells the usual food, magazines, video games and clothes. Also, it is supposed to sell jewelry and imported souvenirs from all vacation resorts. I'd better not tell my mom. Otherwise, she'll just buy the souvenirs and say we don't need to go on vacation again.

I almost forgot. You know that creepy guy who was hanging around the campsite, looked like a reject from a Victorian melodrama? I saw him when I was digging for treasure. Others said that this was the first time they'd seen him as well. If I see him again, I'm calling the cops.

Anyway, as it doesn't look like we're going on vacation again in the near future, I'm going to get down to my studies and see about applying for Uni once my grades get better. It's been good talking to you guys.

We are not going to look at everything that is available. Despite what Heather has to say, one vacation is not going to be the end of our tour. We've got more to see and I intend to keep you in suspense just that bit longer.

Taking photographs is something sims can do all of the time. Somewhere on their person they have secreted that camera that we saw them have on vacation. Sims can pose for shots and have their picture taken wherever they are. Although it does not have options as the camera that comes as the Artist career reward (University-required), it does allow sims to go snap-happy wherever they are and anyone can take a snapshot instead of just controllable sims. Personally, I really like this feature.

Walking to community lots and back home again is not just something people can do at a holiday resort. Your sims can do it at home. It saves time waiting for Taxi #143 to turn up and you get to where you want to go just as quickly.

Digging for treasure can be done anywhere. In fact, with enough time and effort, this could be an alternate career for some sims. If Heather had sold her discoveries, she would have made over §1,500 in one session. Apart from maps and rocks, findings are probably dependant upon what EPs are installed. There is rumour of a treasure chest if you dig deep enough, but I'm yet to unearth one.

The store that Heather refers to can be found in the lot bin. This could be placed in a resort location but is equally suited for placement in a neighborhood. It does contain all items that can be sold at a community lot from the basic game and also from this expansion. There is enough space in the store to add other counters and displays so for those with other EPs, feel free to customise it so it really does sell everything.

Log rolling pits, axe-throwing targets and saunas are just a few of the things that can be bought from the catalog to put on your residential lots. The same will likely apply to many of the other resort items, including décor. Also, because of these objects being available away from resort locations, certain vacation mementoes can be achieved without even leaving the familiarity of your own neighborhood.

As regards the Pickpocket, he does appear on community lots occasionally. Police can be alerted to his presence and he stays out of that reporting sim's way for three days. In the same way as on a lot in one of the resorts, you can try and engage him in fisticuffs to try and get your money back ... or lose some more if you are unsuccessful.

Apart from the vacation rewards that were mentioned in the previous section, the changes in standard gameplay have not been massive. Nevertheless, they have added new elements to the gameplay that I have noticed and appreciate.

In the next part of our review, we'll be heading off to another resort and finding the reports of another traveller about his experiences.