Product Description

Over 80 new objects: more than just new furniture and accessories, objects such as dance cages and the mechanical bull will give you everything you need to create the perfect party atmosphere for your Sims.

Group activities: whether it's roasting marshmallows around a campfire, or playing charades in the family room, there's much more for your Sims to do together.

Rave, cowboy and luau design sets: three new architecture and décor sets will let you create everything from a kitsch dude ranch, to an island hideaway, to an underground dance club.

New characters to party with: hire a caterer to keep the plates full at the debutante ball or a dancer to pop out of the cake at the hen party.

New music and dance moves: build a dance floor with a DJ booth and watch your Sims take to the floor with new dance moves based on five music styles (rap, techno, country, beach and disco).

Costumes: what's a toga party without the bed sheets? The new costume trunk comes with new outfits for your Sims and their guests.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6300 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Electronic Arts
• Released on: 2001-04-06
• Platforms: Windows 98, Windows 95, Windows Me
• Dimensions: .26 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Toga party, anyone? Now your Sims can do that and more with the House Party Expansion Pack, which makes it easier than ever for characters from The Sims to make friends and quickly rise to the top ranks of their professions.

They'll need all that extra money they get from promotions to pay for all the cool goodies included in this expansion. Party themes range from Wild West campfire cookouts to Hawaiian luaus and room-shaking raves, with plenty of objects provided to keep guests entertained.

There's a costume trunk to guarantee everyone will be dressed for the occasion, and it's even possible to hire a caterer to keep the food and drink flowing. If you're really lucky, a famous star may pop in for a guest appearance. Every party is packed with surprises, and the inclusion of extra neighbourhoods ensures there's always a bash to plan. This is one expansion that no fan of The Sims should be without. --T. Byrl Baker

DailyRadar.com
Preview: The Sims was a phenomenon of unexpected proportions. While most of the titles Will Wright has worked on have garnered a respectable following, The Sims has appeal across seemingly all walks of life -- from casual, part-time game players to hardcore fanatics. Its broad appeal makes expansion packs a no-brainer, and the first expansion, Livin' Large, has done enormously well.

So what's going to make House Party just as successful as the first expansion? "The idea behind this expansion was to make social interaction more accessible and easier to maintain," said Tim LeTourneau, Producer for the game. "It used to be that the only thing players could use to get Sims to interact in groups was the hot tub, and that just wasn't right."

Interaction is everywhere in House Party, with all sorts of new ways to entertain large groups of guests at a time. Dance floors (complete with lighted tiles), giant cakes with dancers in them and campfires where Sims gather to sing and tell ghost stories are just a few of the new items. New NPCs include a caterer that makes sure the food doesn't run out and the plates don't pile up -- and there's even a mime that, much like many real-life mimes, is not appreciated. In fact, we saw him perform a short act for a Sim; the Sim booed him, and then the mime did a another short act, this time of committing hara-kiri. His well-being meters took a hit as well.

Not everything is here to help the player along, though. "See that guy?" said Tim, pointing to the screen. "He's a party crasher. He'll show up when a party's going well, only to eat a ton of food and then clog the toilets." Sounds like a few people we know. "Speaking of toilets," he continued, "players will need a lot of them. If you've got 25 Sims at your house, you don't want a line that's 24 Sims long." Additionally, the people that can jump out of the cakes are flirts. "They will specifically target couples that are in love and hit on them. In one scenario, we opened up two cakes at once, one with a male and the other a female. Both targeted the same couple, which led to a major slapping fight and a big break-up."

And that's one of the goals of this expansion pack. House Party is about getting a lot of Sims together and watching what happens, more so than about managing the life of one Sim. "House Party is an entirely new piece to the Sims world. Where Livin' Large added a certain sense of chaos and uncertainty, this expansion captures the social and more fun aspects of everyday life." This expansion will work with or without the Livin' Large expansion, and everything blends into the Sims universe seamlessly. Tim was particularly happy about the new kitchen table. "Instead of needing a kitchen table the size of Connecticut, a single tile table will now seat four."

Additional new items include a costume chest with over 500 new skins in it; a bubble blower that looks remarkably like a hookah; dance cages; vented windows; themes such as disco, western and luau; and a whole lot more. --DailyRadar.com

Manufacturer's Description
The Sims is the only game that lets you build a simulated neighborhood and run - or ruin - the lives of the people that live there. This is real-time strategy that hits close to home and it is up to you to show your Sims that they're living' in your world now! Force them into a life of crime or help them live life in the fast lane. Build them a sprawling mansion or dump them into a dilapidated shack. Let them party like swinging singles or fall in love, get married and raise a family. They can live out your wildest dreams or experience your worst nightmares. It is up to you to decide� their fate is in your hands.The Sims: House Party Expansion Pack is all about, well, parties. Everything in it is designed to make parties more fun for both you and your Sims! There will be lots of new things to do, including many different new group activities. There are more than 100 new objects and characters, five new music styles, five new dance styles to match the new music, and three new themes - cowboy, luau, and rave. This add-on pack requires the full version of Sims to play.

Customer Reviews

this is a good game cant wait 4 the next expansion
hi ive already written a review for the sims and i dunno if i done one for this or not but im gonna tell u anyway. this game is brill but i was more excited when living large came out and i felt there was more things in that but this has a theme which is party! i went off the sims for a while and now im addicted once again. by the way if you have this game it will b a good idea to buy the book primas strategy guide the house party version as this really helps telling you about how to plan a party and how to keep your sims happy and keep food in your guests belly. i thought i had it figured when i got the game but when i read the book it was easier and now my partys are so good i always get a limo pull up outside my house :) any way buy this game! it wont be a waste and then if your loaded buy the book! if you want to keep the mimes away. there are pleanty of new objects windows doors wallpaper and floors and really cool skins and a chance to dress up your sims using costumes from the trunk. so thats all for now buy it! go on !

The Sims Houseparty
This was my first expansion pack, and i thought it was great to get used to the sims with. It is easy to keep your sims happy by having a houseparty, and is also a good way to make friends. It is so easy all you need to do is build a dance floor which is in the electronics section of the build mode. Oh yeah if you want a caterer then you have to get a chefs table...(all explained on the phone!)

Before getting houseparty i would reccomend getting livin' it up because this livin it up offers many more items, and makes house party more interesting to play.

House party is one of the first sims game ever made, so it does not have the most precice ways of communicating with other sims but as I said before it is a good way of starting off and getting used to the way the Sims works. Once you have got the hang of the sims, then i would start buying other expansion packs.

Party On
Finally! You can invite all of your friends over to your house in one go! Just make sure there's enough food for everyone to be happy (buffet table and hired professional caterer), put some music on (turntables, huge speakers and DJ), and dance (on your colourful lighted dance floor) around the campfire (marshmallows included) in your garden!

Make sure you have enough toilets for all your guests though! To help you out, House Party includes some outdoor portaloos that you can place in your garden just for the revellers, and remove when the party is over. No more queueing up for the smallest room in the house!

Major innovations include the new kitchen table, which takes up less room that the traditional style, and seats more people around it. It also looks cuter in your country-style gingham kitchen.

Great expansion pack - I highly recommend it.