How many times have you been stuck in London’s congestion zone, sitting in a four-mile long queue of traffic, while you wonder how the city actually got into such a state? Bad planning, polluted air, and ‘traffic calming’ schemes that are thinly disguised tax ploys aside, more often than not, your mental debate ends with just one thought: "I could probably do a better job myself."

Well, thanks to City Life 2008, you have got that opportunity. Starting off with an empty patch of land and a town hall, it’s up to you to construct a thriving metropolis. This is all in addition to making sure that your loyal citizens are looked after along the way.

With a simple interface leading you by the hand, and a minimal of buildings available to you in the beginning, City Life 2008 does a good job of easing you into things. However, once you’ve got a few houses laid down, you’ll quickly find running a city isn’t as easy as it looks.  

Practically everything that happens in the city is under your control. You’ll need to make sure each of the houses has access to good medical facilities, rubbish disposal points, and power, all while being sure to keep your city free of pollution and in the black financially. In all, there are eight basic needs that you’ll need to fulfil for your city, and, as always, it’s not always possible to ensure that everyone gets what they want. This can lead to violence if situations go by unresolved.

But while it may not have the same strategic depth as a Sim City game, City Life more than makes up for this in its expandability. Shipping with a full map, and building editor, it’s more than possible for you to recreate the buildings of your hometown yourself, before dropping them into the game, and really doing a better job than the people who are paid to do it.

Stick that one in your pipe and smoke it, Mr Livingstone.