You had better be a very patient person if you are going to play this game!
While I enjoyed the open ended feel of this game,I got real sick and tired of having to talk to and entertain monkeys,why couldn't there be different tribes that could have been on every island where you could get map pieces from,or clues to the things that you need along the way? The monkeys were cute,but different tribes on each island would have been so much better. I would have liked this game more if it would have been more of a scavenger hunt to find items than having to gather so many pieces of fruit,vegetables,wood,etc..
One word of advice is that this game WILL FREEZE ON YOU,SO MAKE SURE YOU SAVE YOUR PROGRESS FREQUENTLY ALONG THE WAY! I didn't do this when I played this game the first time,and my game froze on me when I reached the third island and to say that I was really upset,is an understatement! All of my hard work of gathering items and doing so many tasks were ruined because the game froze. There is nothing more irritating than working so hard to get to another island and your game freezes up on you! What this game basically boils down to is that if you enjoy searching every nook and cranny finding new types of trees,fruits,veggies,etc than this game is for you. If you are looking for more of a mystery game where you are on the hunt for exciting clues to find treasures,than this game will disappoint you very much.
I love the Sims games,but this game really,really,really disappointed me because it seemed like all my character was every doing was gathering things that she needed,eating,sleeping,or using the potty. While this game has it's funny moments,it is just really missing that something special to it that makes it a fun game that you will want to play over again after you have finished it the first time! I still have the Sims Bustin' Out and I still play that game because there are so many different ways that you can play that game,but this isn't the case with Sims 2 castaway! If I were you,I would rent this game first because you will have decide whether this is a game that you would like or not because there is alot of time involved with gathering items,and eating,sleeping,showering,etc...
Unfortunately,I have to give this game a poor rating,because I was very disappointed,especially with how this game ends,what's up with that? I feel that this game should offer alot better rewards or treasures when you accomplish certain goals or tasks like previous Sims games have done! Do yourself a favor and rent this game before you buy it!