This review is brought to you by the EA Game Changers Network.

Last we left Catherine she was suffering “empty nest” syndrome. She was proud of Kolten, who was now quite famous, but she felt that her home was just too much for her to handle. Having mastered computer science it was a time for a change. Not to mention all of Koltens fans showing up day and night…

 Kolten, realizing this, decided to build a nice small home in a nice quiet town for his mother. Catherine was beginning to have arthritis so he decided on an arid climate. When Kolten saw the maps he was certain this would be a nice quiet spot and healthy for her too!

There were 2 lots to choose from and he wanted his mother to rest so he picked a rather small lot at the top of the hill. This would be perfect for a small home for her and so it was done. (This house was built by me not EA for the purpose of this review)

  Little did Kolten know that this was far from a retirement community. Catherine thinks the Military Vehicles should have been a clue…DOH!

 Catherine decided best to get her Pepe acclimated to his new home and explore a bit. Meet the neighbors, talk to new people, you know the usual getting to know everyone and the area.

What’s this? She found loads of these strange plants. What are they?

Is this some sort of new plant she had never heard about? Kolten used to garden and she had seen all sorts of plants, but this? She anticipated a mystery and decided to find out just what was going on. Contrary to what Kolten thinks, she’s not a doddy old lady and the excitement intrigued her.

 Catherine went to the town center to meet some of the locals and ask around. What’s this? More than half the locals are scientists and military personnel. Well heck, may as well get to know them too. Might be useful in the long run. So she started asking questions. Many questions.

Ok so it’s about the lab. That curious lab in the desert. She had to know what was in there because she was, after all, that kind of person. There had to be a way to get in.

Catherine continued to meet and greet people talking about Strangeville. She read and analyzed the books in the library about Strangeville.

She found out from talking to the locals that there was a hole in the back of the lab security fence. AHA her way to get a closer look. So off she went to check out the lab. She called Kolten with an excited voice to tell him she was going to solve a mystery. He just thought his mother had too much time on her hands, but went along initially to humor her.

She found the lab door locked, well of course she did, so she started hunting around for some evidence to implicate the lab in something unknown. Kolten went home, “at least Mom has something to do” he thought.

She got all the evidence she could from the papers in the lab, but it just wasn’t enough. She had to talk to the military grunts, find out what they knew. Then there was that curious little fellow at the curios stand. Yes, she thought, must talk to them.

While at the kiosk guy and bought a tin foil hat. I mean that’s supposed to keep scary things away right?

Yes that will do! What’s this? He has a secret inventory? Catherine needed to figure out how to get a hold of that stuff. Well that’s for later. At the moment she needs to investigate that lab! Oh Oh and he has listening devices! Secret bugs to plant on people? MUST have some of those. She better order a listening device receiver so she can hear what’s going on. Let’s see, yep…should be there by the time she gets back home.

Off she goes to investigate. She goes to the local hangout for the military and begins planting bugs. Quick hug hello and BAM you are bugged! She does this to several people around town to make sure she can gather evidence. She wanted to get as many as she could of all of them. Military, Scientists, and Locals.

Catherine was excited but extremely tired. This evidence gathering takes a few days of covert operations. 15 pieces of evidence should do it. She goes home to rest and listen in to the conversations of the people of StrangerVille.

 Eureka! After some time, plenty of bugs, rifling papers, she has evidence! Cold hard evidence SOMETHING is going on in that lab! She also has some good blackmail stuff….She needs a keycard to get through that lab door. But who? Who can she get a keycard from?

 Tap Tap Tap her fingers go on the table. Catherine thought about the weird guy in town. Yeah, he might know something I can do to get in. Cute kid, but a bit off…we'll start there first.

And YES she got a key card inexchange for her dossier on what evidence she found.

Catherine gets to the lab with the keycard in hand. YAS! It works. She descends the stairs slowly..looking left to right, hat in place. There is a lot of lab equipment here. Well of course it’s a lab after all...Awfully dark down here...

What’s this? There is some sort of mist EVERYHWERE! Waving her hands she tries to get past the mist. COUGH! BOOM! She hits the floor…possessed. She’s possessed.

Catherine shakes her head for about 30 min trying to shake off this feeling. Obviously she won’t get in this way. Feeling a bit defeated she leaves the lab for home. At least she knows something is up. It’s obvious with all those spores.

  As Catherine leaves the lab she notices the plants blooming! Actually blooming! Is this a good thing or a bad thing? They ARE really pretty.

Curious, she takes a few cuttings and microscope samples from the plants. They may come in handy later. But not yet. She needs to find a way to get through that mist.

After a good nights sleep she decides to try and talk to the scientists in town, so she heads off for the library where they seem to hang out. You’d THINK they would be in their lab with this great mystery to study. Sheesh.

Catherine asks around about what is needed, hypothetically of course, to get past a contaminant. The scientists, it seems, have been working on a filter to filter out things that may be harmful. She knows she needs to do some research. Catherine also knows that there MUST be some sort of device to help scan for infections. Let’s see, who might have that. She decides to go and ask someone in the military. They do like their toys after all.

Catherine decides to bribe her. I mean who can't use some extra simoleans? Annnnnnnd…..BINGO, a scanner. She sneaks back into the lab and starts scanning for spores.

Catherine figures she’ll probably need about 15 to do some research for that filter. After several scans she has enough to do the research she needs to see about the filters.

 Great! Catherine has what she needs to get a filter from the scientists. She needs some rest now so she decides to see what she can do in the morning…..

 As Catherine rises, eats and showers, she thinks about what this could mean. What will she find and how far will she have to go to find it. Ah well….first things first, she heads for town.

As usual in the library are some scientists. She asks one sitting, intensely studying a science manual. She asks for that filter…Oh no

*sigh* Catherine sits down defeated. Without that filter she can’t get deeper into what is in that lab…..wait….Lyndsay, she’ll call Lyndsay. She is a scientist, she knows her AND she’s a friend. YES! Back in business.

Catherine has the filter, now she needs…what….this filter inserts into something. She knows! A Hazmat suit. Where to get one? She bets that little weird guy might know.

Great! He had one in his secret inventory! A good nights rest and off she can go.

Should she call Kolten? Nah…he thinks she’s just losing her mind. She’ll do this and then tell him her adventure. After all he may try to stop her.

Off she goes back to the lab. She’s going to get into the deepest parts of the lab, find out what’s going on.

Catherine goes deeper and deeper into the lab. She worked hard to get to this point, will she tell you? No, she thinks not…whatever it is will be behind the door. She has seen, but she won’t tell you! It’s for you and you alone to find out what the mystery of StrangerVille is and what happens from here. Catherine chuckles as she closes her research books.

• A Few questions from Twitter and FB below:

 @Izalta93 asks:

Can the sickness be passed to other lots? For example if your sim is infected can they pass it to other lots?

I went to other worlds with Catherine that were not StrangerVille. None of the StrangerVille options were present (went with a scientist friend) so I would say no. It’s limited to StrangerVille.

 @ExplorerSoul asks:

Will my sim be able to do some crazy experiments?

 The whole pack is a crazy experiment

 @annrooze asks:

I want to know what Bella has to do with this.

Don’t know. Not telling. Probably nothing.

 @stlem354 asks

 Can I go inside the RV?

 No it’s just a prop as are the military vehicles.

 Lysa Patti asks:

Is there a storyline to follow to solve the mystery? And if so, is it an option through the military career or can anyone do it?

 Yes it’s a whole storyline. No you do not have to be in the military.

 Katazyrna Garbowska asks:

What the heck is big shadow in trailer?

 Don’t know. Not telling. Probably nothing.

• I know there were a lot more questions, but can’t answer most of them or I’ll spoil the mystery….it’s a good mystery story.

This Game Pack has some new items pictured below. The Hat with the lights must be bought at the new kiosk. It’s not in the clothing inventory until you buy it.