Find Happiness with Fastlane HD

Fastlane HD is like a scaled down version of The Sims. While it has some good moments overall it lacks the excitement or innovation found in similar lifestyle games.

In Fastlane HD you travel through your town to try and build happiness for your life (as if doing this for real isn't hard enough). This involves getting and showing up to a job, hitting the grocery store, dressing appropriately and heading back to your pad for some sleep. The more you regularly undertake these necessary life functions the greater your chance of advancing in your job, getting more education and improving your overall happiness.

If you slack off on any of these details your overall success will suffer. For example if you neglect to eat you may lose time to recover. Pass on sleeping and prepare to be sent to the doctor for treatment (and of course pay a nice little bill). Ditch out of work and you won't be able to make any money; which means not paying rent or buying food.

There is a five-minute tutorial in Fastlane HD that is a bit long and dry though it does a good job of laying out the fundamentals of the game. It walks you through the venues in the city that bare a remarkable resemblance to their real-world counterparts, such as Microware or Seabucks.

When the game starts you are only allowed to work as a janitor at the McDonald's knock-off. After earning enough money you can then begin to take classes that improves your educational level; making you eligible for better paying jobs.

Success in Fastlane HD comes from juggling these tasks and ensuring you get enough food and sleep. Victory comes through putting together a more successful virtual life than your competitors. Up to four humans can play, or you can battle virtual opponents controlled by the computer.