Cooking Academy

Cooking Academy is a fun game that offers something a little bit different to the usual combat games that proliferate the market. Developed by Fugazo, Inc. the game takes the player from novice status, just beginning to learn how to cook, through several lessons to a final exam, at which point rewards are awarded depending on the success of the dish.

The game is set in a culinary school and there are a huge range of recipes to master, covering five different subsections: breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetisers/ starters and desserts. Once the player has received tutorials on each recipe, he or she must create the dishes required by their examiner. The recipe is given points for accuracy and for punctuality, with the 'best' dishes being awarded very high marks. Good cooks can win eight trophies at four different ranking levels, so there is plenty to do with the more than fifty recipes available in the game.

Quite apart from the recipe making, there is also up to thirty-eight cooking related mini-games to play for fun. Interesting facts and trivia are also a popular feature of the game, providing fascinating information about cooking methods, unusual ingredients and recipes from all over the world.

While the recipes provided often give accurate ingredients and measurements, the methods and timing has been tweaked to make the game a more enjoyable experience – after all, who would remember to check their game after forty-five minutes virtual simmering? Therefore: much as playing shooter game will not teach you how to be a sniper, Cooking Academy will not teach you how to cook in real life. However, it is a great way for youngsters and kitchen-wary adults to get in touch with their inner chef and can provide a way into the real-life kitchen, where you do not get trophies and badges, but you do end up with (if you are careful and follow all the instructions properly) delicious food with which you can impress your family and friends!

So popular has Cooking Academy proved that Fugazo, Inc. has produced several sequels, variously featuring world foods, cordon bleu cooking and much more. The game plays smoothly with few bugs or issues and no lag reported. It is suitable for all ages (although very young players might need help with some of the instructions) and is sure to provide good clean fun for the whole family.

Pros

• Great cooking fun, something different from the more violent, shooter games that are so predominant
• Good graphics and smooth play
• Easy to understand and follow along
• With over fifty recipes and thirty-eight mini-games there is hours of entertainment to be had

Cons

• Some of the cooking tasks are quite repetitive and can become dull with time
• No much in the way of action for adrenaline junkies