by Pam Thompson

Created on: July 20, 2008   Last Updated: July 24, 2008

Have you ever dreamed of being yelled at by Gordon Ramsay? If you've ever dreamed of competing on the reality TV show, "Hell's Kitchen", but did not have the intestinal fortitude to take daily verbal abuse, then the downloadable time management game by the same name may just be for you.

Hell's Kitchen starts off in a slow placed tutorial mode, where you play at the rank of dishwasher. Chef Ramsay assigns you a certain number of stars for each day that you complete, a perfect day garnering five stars. As you continue to rise through the ranks from apprentice to senior chef, your restaurant continues to grow, ans you serve more and more customers.

Hell's kitchen differs from many other time management games in that it has far more realistic graphics. This game has graphics more along the lines of a simulation game, viewed from a first person perspective. Hell's kitchen is also different in the gameplay itself. You are not only the waiter, you are also the chef. Managing both kitchen and dining room adds a unique balancing act twist.

The game play is challenging without being too frustrating. After a few rounds I was able to figure out a rhythm for preparing meals and managing the dining room. An oddity for this game is that although you are supposed to be serving desserts in the dining room, you appear to be preparing meat dishes in the kitchen. For a more realistic twist it would be interesting to work with a different set of ingredients during the dessert course. This may make the game too complicated though.

The sound track of the game has a good blend of background music (familiar to those who watch the show) and the ambient noise of a restaurant. Chef Ramsay's constant criticism gets a bit old as he has only a few canned phrases.

I rate this game a 4/5 for innovation and stunning graphics, along with interesting game play. this is a worthwhile purchase for foodies and reality television fans alike. The 35 recipes from the show can more than make up for the purchase price.

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