How to Play the Sims 2 on Ubuntu Wine

Ubuntu, the most popular distribution of the free Linux operating system, has the ability to run Windows applications and games through a free emulator called Wine. While intensely high-graphics games are more difficult to run smoothly, you can play the Sims 2 in Ubuntu using Wine.

Open the Ubuntu Software Center under the "Applications" menu in the upper-left corner of Ubuntu's desktop.

Type "Wine" into the search box and hit "Enter." Click on the yellow arrow to the right of "Wine" in the search results and select "Install" on the next screen. Wait while Wine downloads and installs.

Insert your Sims 2 CD into the disc drive and wait for the system to recognise it. Double-click on the Sims 2 CD icon when it appears on your desktop to open the disc and browse the contents. Right-click on the "install.exe" file and select "Open With Wine Windows Emulator." From here you can install the software as you would on a Windows computer. Restart your system when the install finishes.

Click on the "Applications" menu and scroll down to "Wine." Under "Programs," click on "Sims 2." This opens and allows you to play the game.