Scientific research has shown that pets help people lead productive and well-rounded lives. In fact, the evidence has been so strong that the government subsidizes outreach programs that place pets with senior citizens, and doctors have been known to prescribe pets to depressed patients.

Knowing all that, it makes sense that a little furry Prozac should get injected into 'The Sims' -- the best-selling life-simulation game that lets you create and take control of virtual humans (who, like us, grow unhappy without proper love and affection). Instead of having your Sims call neighbors in the middle of the night for a quick social fix, they can just play with their cat, dog or bird for an easy status boost.

The new Sims expansion offers a nice variety of ways to adopt a critter. Players can use the house phone to call up the adoption agency and have one delivered, adopt a neighborhood stray or buy one at a pet store.

While it's nice to have options, it was the most rewarding to start from scratch -- create an entirely new family that includes pets or buy one from a store. This way, just as game lets players custom create human characters, pets can be created with almost as much customization -- including everything from predetermined breeds (including hip mixed breeds like Labradoodles and puggles), coat colors, minute facial and body details to the animal's overall personality by way of an astrological chart with predetermined characteristics. There are so many options here that it's safe to say that outside of using a taxidermist to keep Fluffy around forever, this is the best way to reanimate a childhood pet for your own slightly creepy enjoyment.

It was surprising to discover that only cats and dogs can be customized -- birds and hamster-like "womrats" only come in six varieties. It's not a major letdown, except for any amateur ornithologists hoping to create their own new breed of feathered friend.

After being created or adopted, the pets move into your house with the human Sims. Like real pets, they have basic needs to be tended to -- which may not be the easiest task for a beginning Simmer. Like regular Sims, pets must be fed, entertained and trained -- and all of this requires some dexterous multitasking, since the actual human Sims themselves are already like little pets and also require constant monitoring to make sure they go to the bathroom, eat, build friends and enhance job skills. Hell, most actual humans have a hard enough time meeting their own needs.