no cert, EA, Facebook ***

Sim City is set for a reboot next year. For now, EA has brought the game to Facebook with SimCity Social. Like its Sims Social predecessor, SimCity Social doesn’t stick solely with the tried and tested formula that players of the original have come to expect. As the name suggests, there are social elements built in. You’ll notice your friends moving into your city. And you can also visit their towns and perform some friendly – or not so friendly – actions. Spend some money, scoff at their progress; the choice is yours. In general, the basic premise is the same. Build your city from scratch, creating homes, businesses and the basic utilities. You are limited, though, by an energy bar that depletes according to the actions you take. Once your energy bar is empty you can’t perform any more actions. Similarly, you have to collect items along the way to complete tasks, finish buildings and generally advance your way through the game. SimCity Social is limited, and nowhere near as addictive as the original, but it will bring new players to the franchise, and it’s great for a few minutes’ distraction at a time.