"Well, hey, cooking is one of the means for survival..."

-Introduction-
Finally, a game that sets its sights on cooking... Cooking food, for everyone to enjoy, gain calories from, and eventually top the scales as their body grows with its age to become an adult from childhood... It is the basis of life; eating food is one of the musts in life. And as such, cooking food is another tolerated concept dating back hundreds if not thousands of years. In this game, you begin by simply cooking food; the game instructs you on how/what to do, then it is your job to fulfill the request on the menu - it can get pretty fun, I suppose. It's not exactly my type of game, but hey, I bought it anyway. You need a break from all of the sword-fighting RPGs and fast-paced racing games out there. This one is a nice relaxing game in which tranquility reigns supreme as you hold a spatula in one hand, and a cooking book in the other.

-Gameplay-
While some may find cooking not to be the best way to spend time with playing video games; others can. I can. I usually spend the majority of my game-time with RPGs, or action/adventure games, yet this one is a whole different method of entertainment. I like it. It can get extremely addicting as the game progresses, but that's only dependant on the gullibility of the gamer.

-Sound-
Mediocre, for the most part. Familiar and realistic sounds as far as the kitchen goes, and the music is a little below antagonizing. Nevertheless, the gameplay music is better than nothing.

-Challenge?-
Holds a pretty good challenge, depending on how/what you play. The later 'missions' (I use this word very loosely here) can get demanding, but the first few tasks are rather easy.

-Buy or Rent?-
Although I usually don't recommend doing this, I would probably recommend that you at least rent this game before buying it. To say the least, you can at least get a feel to the game before purchasing it. If you don't like it, you don't have to keep it or buy it. If you do like it, ditch your rental copy (just return it back to the store) and consider that file practice; buy a new copy of it from a store that carries it and enjoy the sheer elegance of cooking for "mama".

-Conclusion-
If you're ever playing a video game, and you become hungry, think about this game, and the trouble some people have to go through to prepare a meal. In this game, you get to take that role. That's one of the reasons I find this game fun. Other than that, I just find it amusing; and different.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 03/19/07