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Give this to the designers at The Sims Studio: They don't do anything halfway.

After the roaring success that was the "World Adventures" expansion pack (despite some terribly buggy side effects), it was easy to wonder what, exactly, the people behind "The Sims 3" could do for an encore. That encore has arrived, and it is called " Ambitions" (PC; $39.99; Rated T). It is the answer to the eternal "Sims" burning question of "what do you suppose they do at work all day?"

To this point, a "Sims" career path was a largely invisible one; apart from giving a little push in the direction of just how seriously to take that career, we never got to see just what exactly it was our little people did all day. Now, we get to micromanage their tiny little lives even further, playing along as they catch ghosts, put out fires or even decide on a life of self-employment, selling crafts to make ends meet.

While all of the new jobs and hobbies are extremely impressive and well-realized, the focus on the newfound occupations does make for one necessary change to the philosophical approach one takes to the game - one simply cannot pay equal attention to all members of a household. A sim that embarks on one of the new career paths is necessarily going to need a little more attention as the player plays the mini-games of that career, while the remainder of the household is left to the mundane whims of the AI.

Those used to playing alone, however, may well fall in love with "The Sims" all over again, even at a price that's not exactly a bargain.

There may not be much of a market for the brand of shoot-'em-up that involves a tiny avatar prevailing against the impossible odds occasioned by hundreds of simultaneous onscreen bullets, but " Deathsmiles" (Xbox 360; $49.99; Rated T) is at least an argument for more. It has everything a true fan of the genre could want: a pixel-perfect arcade port, a wide variety of enhanced modes, local and online cooperative play, online leader boards, and achievements that reward both the casual and the hardcore.

Despite the troubling presence of teenage girls who spend their time just a bit too underdressed and play that lasts only about a half-hour front to back, its appealing fantasy setting and its adjustable difficulty system are extremely welcoming. We can hope it will be the first of many such genre exercises on the 360 to come.

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