Bliss

It's easy to snicker at games like Bliss, but anyone who takes a good look at the software will find a labor of love that sets it apart from anything similar. The ability to customize the "game" as you see fit makes it a lot of fun and acceptable for a range of sexual partners. Any (heterosexual) couple looking for romantic play via their PCs will be hard-pressed to find a more robust application.

Bliss is not a game in the traditional sense. There's no way to win or lose. Money is accrued by players as a means of building properties such as salons and dance clubs, but players will concern themselves much less with their bank accounts than the "actions" they're assigned via various squares on the board. Play progresses as with any other board game. Each player rolls two dice and advances the sum, performing actions required by the squares on which they land. Unoccupied places can be developed by the player who lands there first, much like in Monopoly. Instead of charging visitors for said developments, however, those proprietorships result in new actions for each player to perform. Actions depend on each player's "passion level," which can be adjusted manually during the game. Actions also appear to be modular, with a default romance set and a "Staying Engaged" set that focuses on the nonsexual relationship of the partners. Unfortunately, though players can personalize profiles that specify which actions go with certain passion levels, the Action Editor for creating your own is not included.

The game obviously deals with an adult subject, but it takes great pains to keep the language PG, with a few references that might rise to PG-13. The graphics are low-brow, as is the included music. We were unable to find the necessary playlist to modify for including our own music, though the game claims it is possible. Same-sex couples will find themselves left out of the action completely. Also, 75MB is far too large a download for the included content. The program is far from perfect, but Bliss is already a leader in its genre, and the trial provides a good introduction.