There's big money to be had in fake lives. Electronic Arts claimed a full half of the top 10 PC games charts for the week of November 26 to December 2--including the top spot--thanks primarily to its lighthearted life-simulating franchise, The Sims.

　　According to the industry-tracking NPD Group, EA's The Sims 2: Pets expansion pack sold more copies than any other PC game for the week and led a quartet of Sims 2 products into the top 10 chart. The original Sims 2 came in seventh, while the Glamour Life Stuff and Happy Holiday Stuff add-ons landed in fifth and eighth, respectively. EA's fifth and final game in the top 10, the futuristic first-person shooter Battlefield 2142, was the ninth best-selling title for the week.

　　With Black Friday behind the industry, game retailers saw the average selling prices for a number of its titles return to their previous ranges. Microsoft's deluxe package for Flight Simulator X flew off shelves enough to warrant a fourth place standing in the charts, but the game sold for an average of $66 a pop, compared to the $29 it garnered the week before. Consumers also found Desperate Housewives not as cheap as last week, as the Buena Vista Games offering slid six spots to 10th place as its average selling price jumped from $9 to $16.