All Sims 3 expansions are split into two groups: You get your full expansion packs that change the way the whole game works, adding new careers, locations and things to do - it may very well change the way you play the game altogether. Then you get ‘Stuff Packs.’ As the name suggests, these are packs full of stuff. Stuff like new furniture, new carpets, and maybe a fish tank or two. The Outdoor Living Stuff Pack focuses on - you guessed it - outdoor stuff.

As a Stuff Pack, Outdoor Living Stuff does not add any new gameplay features that will make you go “Wow! I must have this now!” It includes small additions that make you wonder why they weren’t included in the first place.

Why some of these packs need to be sold in shops on discs with extra packaging and distribution and advertising makes no sense either, as the online Sims 3 shopping portal works really well. What will really mess with your mind though is how much you get in these packs, compared to what you can get online for the same amount. The packs would cost around five times as much if you had to buy them individual online.

As for the actual contents of the pack, you can guess they all have to do with the great outdoors. Firstly, you now have more options for outdoor cooking. Yes, my Sim is a fat slob and eats 80% of his waking day. The other 20% is spent playing computer games (why not be a person playing a computer game about a person playing a computer game. Now imagine if your Sim was playing the Sims on his computer!). You have some nice gas braais, outdoor cupboard space for new cookers and fridges, and even a new sink that will not look out of place outside.

If you get too dirty from the smoke you can go for a dip in one of the new Jacuzzis. Then lie in the sun on one of the new outdoor furniture sets and let that nice big meal just digest slowly. Once the food is digested your Sim might want to do something fun, so let him use the new telescope to look for sunspots, or he can stare at the wonder of his new terrarium (think aquarium, but where aqua is water, terra is dirt).

Furthermore there are a few new decorative items like fruit you can place on your new outdoor table with matching chairs, new potted plants and some outdoor lighting. A lot of the items feel like reskinned objects you already have. The counter tops are outdoor counters, but are really the indoor counters with a new brick texture on. With the Sims 3 pattern creator you can already do this yourself. This is very efficient of the developers.

The biggest problem with the range of expansions and additions are the way they are installed. Each pack gets its own folder under Program Files (if you choose to use Program Files for your installations). So you end up with a folder structure that by now looks like this:

- The Sims 3
- The Sims 3 Ambitions
- The Sims 3 Fast Lane Stuff
- The Sims 3 High-End Loft Stuff
- The Sims 3 Late Night
- The Sims 3 Outdoor Living Stuff
- The Sims 3 World Adventures

It also appears as though the more packs you have installed, the longer the game takes to load. And not just by a few seconds to check which packs are installed. Think more in the lines of seven games installed, seven times the loading time. I ran into another common problem according to some forums, yet no official word from EA yet: certain save games seem to be susceptible to severe slowdown after the latest Stuff Pack is installed. This makes for quite a frustrating game, having to give up your current character and start a new life in a new town. So far these slowdowns only happen with my family in Bridgeport, and this town seems to be a common problem. Maybe it’s those grumpy vampires slowing it down.

The Stuff Packs can be good value for money if you really want every single item in the pack. It might still be cheaper to buy the few selected items you like from the online shop though. But this is a nice way to tide you over until The Sims Medieval arrives later this year. I really hope some of The Sims 3 problems can be resolved with the next expansion.

- The good: Outside is the only place to cook!
- The bad: Questionable value for money
- The ugly: Broken save games!

Purchase: