Anyone who has played The Sims 2 will be used to the idea of designing your own home and then filling it with furniture, electrical fittings, plumbing and adding gardens, fences and hot tubs, etc. You'll also enjoy the ability to walk round it in 3D and explore every angle before deciding if you want to make any additions or modifications.

IMSI's latest version of FloorPlan 3D is an expansion of this idea and is intended both for consumers who fancy the idea of renovating their home or designing a dream house, and for architects and builders who want to sketch out some ideas quickly to show and impress clients.

Once installed, the software's screen is divided into a series of toolbars at the top (which cover a range of insert materials, zoom variations, camera positions and essential tools), drop-down menus on the sides and a large drawing area in the centre. Your best option for getting started is to use the excellent manual which provides seven lessons of increasing complexity that will run you through all the basics and several advanced steps.

Everything operates through point 'n' click and there are several handy aids to make construction easy. For instance, walls will 'snap' together as you outline a room and furniture will frequently do the same when you position it next to walls. Fittings can be rotated and re-sized, colours and textures added and even specialist lighting effects (including sunlight) can help you with your decisions.

Most of the time you're working off a 2D flat plan but at any stage you can slip into 3D mode and either examine your house from fixed camera positions or do a walkthrough on ground level. It's even possible to take photorealistic images of the rooms to approximate what the real finished effect would look like and to 'render' the house so the brickwork, etc., looks more authentic.

However, the camera operating system is unbelievably unwieldy as the default fixed points rarely cover all the angles you want to see and the camera has to be literally picked up and repositioned every time you want another view. Next time, a free-ranging camera tilt, zoom and move system (like with The Sims 2 model) would make life a lot easier.

Because the software was designed principally with Americans in mind, the furniture and fittings have a decidedly North American bias, so British households will be trickier to replicate. This said, the sheer range and scope of the thousands of objects available (including outside fencing, decking and even driveways) is impressive and the package comes with a full version of TurboCAD 10.2 that can take your designs and create detailed front and side elevations.

Despite its cumbersome camera controls and American slant, the latest version of FloorPlan 3D is quick to get to grips with and well laid out, with a superb tutorial that will have you swiftly redesigning your dream home.