Others say...

"Prima-" Premium help""
These are the best tools out there for those in the Sims World.
We purchased the Prima Guide for each Expansion Pack, and they have been a wealth of helpful information for my wife, who is not only an avid reader, but a very organized player when it comes to these Games.
They have provided everything that you need.

"Great Buy!"
I purchased this book at the same time as I purchased The Sims 2: Holiday Edition. Although the book did arrive before the game, it gave me more time to learn about the game and how to keep my Sims happy, advance in their careers, what to buy when I firsted moved in a family, how to build a house, how to construct a basement... it's all in there!!! The book also tells how to use tutorials, and what to do in them to be successful. This book is a great idea if you're a seasoned gamer and want a reference or a new player and want somewhere to look if you're confused. I haven't even gotten the game yet (I've only had the book for about two days) and already I'm in love with it and have many, many Post-Its marking "important" pages.

The book also shows all the levels of your career so you know how many friends, skill points, days off, etc. you'll have in the future and what to shoot for, and it also shows your salaries so if you have a MONEY Sim you can make a lot of cash and make them happy.

"I Love It! It helped so much!"
In the back are cheats, filmaking tips, storymaking tips, and bodyshop help.
I'll give you a sample of the TOC:
Part 1 The Basics (if you've never played before)
Part 2 Creating Neighborhoods, Families, and Sims
Part 3 It's A Lot Like Life (aging, dieing, skills, wants, fears, needs)
Part 4 All in the Family (a maxis made fun blog - no idea why it's there)
Part 5 Beyond the Game (bulid mode, story, fim, custom conten, cheats)

By the way there are chapters in those parts. There are 23 chapters in all. The most in P:3, the least in P:1. Also the cheats that they give are NOT all of them. There are about... ***thinking*** over 40 more. But the guide ones are all the Maxis made cheats, the others are hacks.
Important Guide Cheats:
moveobjects (on/off) move any object even sims
kaching $1,000
aging (on/off) sims do or don't age

"Worth buying."
This is better value than other Prima strategy guides as it is actually a guide for both Sims University and for Sims 2.... however it's not such good value if you've already bought the original Sims 2 book.
Prima, as ever, have packed a lot of information into their book and it is stuffed to the gills with useful tips and ideas. It gives a rundown on what your adolescent Sims need in order to survive, and ultimately graduate from college whilst still managing to party hard and have a good time. There are details on the new features to be found and goodies to be bought as well as a useful list of careers and what is needed to reach the top of career ladder.
The original guide, which is included here, gives a useful run down on playing the game and provides lots of additional information for the budding architect making building a lot simpler. Even the die-hard Sims player is sure to find new ideas and helpful advice in this book, it's worth every penny.


"Great Game guide."
I found the information and tips in this book helped me play the game better. I bought this book a year after I played and found out lots of info that I didn't know about the game. The game is now more fun to play than ever, thanks to this book.