SimCity 4's expansion, Rush Hour, streamlined the gameplay in ways that made the initial release seem obsolete, so again, be sure to install the expansion before jumping into the original. In turn, these elements make for an involving game, and seeing impressive new buildings sprout up is an excellent reward for your keen eye and thoughtful calculations. This installment allows for more micromanagement than do prior games you can set taxes based on social class and zone type, for example, so expect to fiddle around with these options often as you search for that financial sweet spot. But as your town grows, these needs require a tight balancing act that involves a lot of thought and care. The early hours are admittedly slow: You create residential, commercial, and industrial zones while balancing the intricate economic burdens of a growing metropolis. Five years after its initial release, the game is still up to that task. As with its predecessors, it was a rewarding challenge that could keep you glued to your computer monitor for hours at a time. Of course, the meat of this package is SimCity 4. You may have rightfully dismissed Societies as too easy to hold your interest, but the expansion is good enough to bring it in step with the big boys. When you consider that the expansion goes for $29.95 on its own, it's also an obviously valuable part of the package. The duo won't provide the challenge or depth you might be used to from a SimCity title, but the presentation is charming, and the simple gameplay is surprisingly engaging. With the recent release of Destinations, however, SimCity Societies leapt a great hurdle-so be sure to install both the original game and its expansion when prompted.

Societies on its own was a decent but unremarkable take on the city-building formula, in which you juggle social energies and economic needs while making your sims happy in your ever-expanding burb. The most recent title in The SimCity Box is Destinations, an expansion to 2007's SimCity Societies. These otherworldly visitors in SimCity Societies do not come in peace. This isn't quite the dream team of SimCity games-no one wants or needs the lame SnapCity, and the inclusion of 1998's SimCity 3000 would seem a no-brainer-but if you can overlook the filler, you'll still find that the cream rises to the top. Yet at $39.95, it packs in dozens of hours of quality gameplay, thanks in particular to the inclusion of SimCity 4 and its Rush Hour add-on. Ostensibly, this package includes five games, though that isn't quite the case, since two of them are expansions. The SimCity Box is a good value, so if for some reason you haven't tested your mayoral prowess in a SimCity title before, now's your chance.

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