Review by: Andrew Webster

Though it bears the Sims name prominently, MySims Agents is actually much more adventure than simulation. You start off as an up and coming detective, solving local capers involving stolen dogs and the like, before quickly being promoted to a special agent. And not just any old special agent, you get to run a brand new special agent headquarters. How's that for a promotion!

You end up doing quite a bit of travelling, investigating dance clubs, snow-peaked mountains, and junkyards all in the name of capturing Morcubus -- an evil crime lord with his sights set on , naturally, world domination. The story is silly and light-hearted, and thankfully never takes itself too seriously. In fact, MySims Agents is surprisingly funny, with a number of genuinely laugh-out-loud moments.

As for the actual investigation segments of the game, they are pretty much what you'd expect. You wander around questioning witnesses and collecting evidence, aided in your quest by several cool secret agent gizmos, which allow you to do everything from following a set of footprints to moving objects around. The game also features quite a few mini-games to spice things up, which take the form of fairly simple puzzles. Every time you have to pick a lock, hack a computer, or do some forensic analysis -- all activities that pop up rather frequently over the course of a secret agent's day -- you are forced to solve one of these puzzles in order to progress. What's strange is that they differ wildly in difficulty, with some taking a few seconds to solve while others will leave you scratching your head.

There are also a few platforming sections tossed in, particularly towards the end of the game, which are at times forgettable, and at others infuriating. The actual platforming is not that difficult, featuring fairly simple terrain to traverse, but the game fights with you most of the way. The jumping is floaty and hard to control, making things much harder than they need to be, and the unmovable camera doesn't help either. If the game weren't so forgiving, with virtually no punishment for failure, this would be a much bigger issue than it is.

Of course, as a Sims game, there has to be at least some simulation in Agents, and while you can create and customize your character, the main draw is managing your own agency. Fairly early on in the game you obtain the ability to enlist new agents, who can then be sent out on dispatch missions. Setting up an agent's strengths with the right case is the key to success, as is decorating your HQ, since items upgrade your minions' abilities. It's not a major part of the game, but it helps to provide a nice distraction from the main course.

MySims Agents had the potential to be nothing more than a bland, forgettable adventure game. But thanks to its great sense of humor and charming quirkiness, it's able to rise above mediocrity. It may be a tad on the easy side, and the cutesy visual style might turn some off, but this is a solid adventure. And besides, how can you not love a game with yetis, mad scientists, robots, AND zombies?