by Shannon Bradford

Created on: February 04, 2009   Last Updated: February 09, 2009

RATING: 2/5

Chocolate lovers beware- playing this game will make you fiend for tasty treats. "Chocolatier: Decadence by Design" is a straightforward game that often leads the player by the hand in order to accomplish the tasks, but that doesn't mean the almost-cartoonish chocolates won't make you wish you had a nice truffle in your hand.

The game is easy enough: Alex owns a once-great chocolate factory that is now in shambles, and she must leave to find her missing husband in post-World War II Europe. She needs someone to take over the factory, and you must prove yourself worthy of taking over the reins as chocolatier. After completing the opening tasks to showcase your strength as the new CEO, which takes about 10 minutes, you're on your own to make chocolate, come up with your own creations, and, most importantly, resuscitate her ailing company. Making chocolate doesn't seem terribly gripping, but the game maintains interest through various "quests" and the opportunity to travel the world in order to buy specific ingredients for your recipes. The graphics in this game look like simplified SimCity recreations, with pleasant music to accompany the culture of each region. There is also a hidden tribute to the interactivity of Oregon Trail here, where characters rotate through a select number of responses and needs throughout game play, allow you to haggle for prices for inventory needs, and will tell you exactly what you need to do next, no matter who they are.

After the one hour trial play, there didn't seem to be much more to discover about the game. Different parts of the world are unlocked after continued game play, and new destinations mean new ingredients, more lucrative business deals and frequent access to the Secret Lab to create new concoctions. However, the game quickly becomes repetitive once you've discovered the not-so-hidden secret to selling chocolate and creating new recipes. The post-World War II concept is creative, but it's not enough to sustain interest to the end of the game. Perhaps if there were higher stakes for Alex to find her husband and revive her ailing company, the game might have a higher appeal or urgency to succeed.

The game is better fit for children, and the easy-to-understand bank balance will provide a nice at-home exercise in money management. Furthermore, it's an opportunity to compete against yourself in chocolate making, with a randomized ingredient-spewer that accelerates as you successfully pair the ingredients with the recipe. The graphics are a bit childish, with pop-up dialogue boxes that communicate exactly what is required of you in order to proceed, so there is no chance of confusion on the player's part.

It's a worthy investment for anyone under the age of 12, and it provides a nice escape into the cartoonish post-World War II world, if only for an hour. Serious gamers should look elsewhere, as "Chocolatier: Decadence by Design" might feel more like an insult to your intelligence than anything else.

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