The game's pedigree is good: Playboy comes from the folks at Cyberlore, whose Majesty fantasy kingdom sim (and its expansion) have never left my hard drive. I know they can do games right. And Playboy is a great subject for sim treatment. The magazine broke all sorts of taboos, promoted a way of life and weathered attacks from both opponents of its nudity and competitors willing to take nudity much, much farther. The bunny icon is pure Americana, as is founder Hugh Hefner and his lovably hedonistic existence.

I think that might be the game's first stumbling block. Its engine is clearly based on The Sims, itself sort of a disappointment when you consider games like The Partners and Singles already used Sims-type engines to really explore the sexual side of life. Yes, the basic engine is versatile, but then you're sort of locked into conventions like decorating surroundings. Not easy to do when so many other titles, including the fantastic Sims 2, have done them so well already.

In fact, let me just say that Playboy doesn't do them well compared to recent Sims-type titles. Decorating, for example, was cumbersome. (Maybe I should've read the manual, but I always like to see first whether a game is intuitive.) Opening the decorating screen shows the basic types of items, but it took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out I had to double-click each section to reveal specific items. Then it took way too many clicks to buy and place each item, not to mention getting the item's details or selling obsolete décor.

A few other nits to pick with basic gameplay: Playboy falls into the trap of using babble-language but not always (some characters, like the magazine's executive staff, speak English when teaching you various aspects of running the mag or hosting parties) as well as using some animations that seemed way too familiar to Sims players. I didn't want to feel like I was playing a mod of the first game, but there it was.

Please don't think I disliked the game. Instead, I very much enjoy it, because it's not just a party simulator. The underlying goal at all times is to sell the magazine. Parties aren't just parties; they add to Hef's fame and attract celebrities (both real and imagined) who can be used for interviews or essays or photo shoots. Relationships must be nurtured among staff members, among staff and celebrities, among Hef and celebrities, all to make sure the magazine goes out smoothly. Even the more hedonistic parts of life are there to increase Hef's rep and attract readers.

It's necessary, of course, for Hef to be a major part of the game, but I had a bit of a hard time with it. He's not some pimple-faced kid starting a magazine empire. He's Hugh Hefner. To that end, there's no character growth because he's a Playboy icon. He has Playmates on his arms from the very outset. I sort of wished the campaign mode, at least, started the player as some sort of executive editor who really had to work to make contacts. Instead, Hef is a benevolent god who has top-name stars coming over as early as the second campaign mission.

Speaking of stars, I was surprised to see Uncle Kracker pop by in what was ostensibly 1961. That's fine for the randomly generated celebrities, but I sort of wish they'd made specific people for the appropriate time periods. Same goes for time-specific events. I'd love to have guided the magazine through tough times like the suddenly hypermoral 1980s or the rise of free nudity on the Internet in the 1990s.

Minor quibbles, those. I enjoyed trying to meet reader demographics by building relationships with various stars and – what's that? What about nudity? I figured you'd ask. Yes, it's here, of course. Celebrities and even staff members, all of whom are hot hot hot, can pose in skimpy outfits for the cover. Playmates pose for the centerfolds, also partially or minimally clothed. This prompts an interesting minigame where you need to photograph the subject in various poses and, for best results, winking. The subject's relationship with the staff photographer influences just how many chances you get at great shots, but it's also easy to memorize the looping pose animations and get fairly lucky.

No, I don't mean sex. Yes, you can have sex, but it's, well, partially clothed. Surprisingly, after Singles (where a blanket hid everything below the waist) or even The Sims 2 (where various objects such as blankets or water covered naughty bits). Don't buy Playboy: The Mansion if you're just out for cheap thrills.

That's fairly good advice overall, I suppose. Playboy: The Mansion makes you work for your thrills, even if Hef is surprisingly powerful right off the bat. This isn't a party game. It's about putting out a product that makes money. It's a good business sim with some interesting ideas marred by an overused design. If only we all got to have as much fun in real life as Hef has had living his dream.