>I'm not good with the processor speeds etc for
>playing games etc, nightmare!!!
I am not to very clued up on games, but do know enough to know that the gaphics card is very important when it comes to playing games (possiblry more important than the processor).
With games on the PC there are I think two main types: Those that really stretch the computer, and those that dont not really stretch it (like the Sims in your example).
If you want to play really powerful games then to be honest a laptop is not the best device for playing games, a desktop PC is far better.
Some cheaper laptops come with very basic graphics cards that are only really suitable for "office" work (word processing, e-mail etc).
If you want to play games then you do need a laptop with a fairly decent graphics card.
Some companies do offer their laptops as "entertainment laptops" or "gaming laptops" so maybe have a look round for them.
Or in the description of the laptop see if it highlights the fact it is a better than average graphics card.
Maybe someone who is more clued up than me on games can suggest what graphics to look for in a laptop.