by Nadine Odo

Created on: July 22, 2008   Last Updated: July 24, 2008

Welcome to Hell's Kitchen, a downloadable game by Ludia with well rendered graphics
and lifelike sound effects that transport you into the reality TV show of the same name, a
high-octane competition to be head chef. The game is similar in concept to Diner Dash,
in which you walk customers to a table, take their order, serve them, and then bus the
table, always with speed and finesse.

After taking your customers' order, you travel from the dining room to the kitchen, where
you prepare your entrees or desserts and keep a watchful eye on the timers to make sure
they come out "spot on." You then return to the dining room to serve your customers and
wait for them to finish their meal. All the while, difficult-to-please Chef Gordon Ramsay
is prodding you to move faster, do better. You receive up to 5 stars after completing each
round.

The demo version doesn't give enough time to move very far up the ranks. The first
rounds require you to serve a handful of tables, which isn't terribly challenging, although
you may find yourself wishing the waiter were a little less deferential and got on with his
job.

With a name like Hell's Kitchen, one might expect the game to focus more on cooking
than waiting tables. Timing of the meals was a nice touch, but more complicated recipes,
maybe with some chopping and dicing as in the real show, would have made it less of a
me-too game. Adding a mechanism for scoring each round, such as adding up the tips
left by the customers, would have added interest. Another novel twist would have been a
competition between you and a virtual chef, bringing the game closer to its TV origins.

The graphics are amazing, but the game play is less so. Ironically, the heavy graphics
may be part of the problem because waiting for the next round to load could make you
feel as exasperated as your virtual customers. Recipes are unlocked as you progress
through the game, which may appeal to a narrow segment of gamers those with an
equal fondness for video games and vichyssoise. Hell's Kitchen is a 2.5 on a scale of 5.

Learn more about this author, Nadine Odo.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.