Cooking Dash, the latest iteration in the Diner Dash series, is so much fun! I own the four main Diner Dash games and love them, so I figured I'd give this one a try -- and I wasn't disappointed. Cooking Dash has enough of a plot and unique setup to be a totally stand-alone game, so people who have never played the other Diner Dash games should be fine. You play the main character, Flo, who must use her amazing waitressing (and now cooking) skills to save restaurants from failure.
The best way I can describe Cooking Dash is that it's a blend of regular Diner Dash plus another similar game called Cake Mania (but instead of making cakes, you cook the customers' food). As such, the most notable difference between Cooking Dash and the previous DD games is the setup: the main "stage" is a huge kitchen, rather than a huge seating area. The actual game play is similar -- you must be conscientious in seating the customers, get their food to them quickly, and clean up when they leave. Basically, you perform a series of "strategic" mouse clicks to achieve your goal. As in the other Diner Dash games, there are 50 levels (five restaurants with 10 levels each), and you can score bonuses by performing a "chain" of actions, like giving checks to five customers in a row.
The customers in Cooking Dash are, for the most part, the same as those in the DD series. You see the regulars -- girls, business women, seniors, bookworms, cell phone yappers -- but also some new faces: body builders, hippies, yoga instructors, and students with headphones. Each customer has particular time constraints and idiosyncrasies that Flo must manage. For instance, the cell phone yappers and the hippies tend to make noise, and this bothers the other customers, especially the bookworms and yoga instructors. However, the students with headphones don't mind noise, so you can seat them next to the hippies and the yappers.
As a reward for achieving your goal, you get to purchase upgrades with the money (points) you've earned. You can upgrade the kitchen equipment, the restaurant décor, and Flo's walking speed. However, you need to be strategic with your rewards: for obvious reasons, it's better to buy a faster stove than new floor tiles.
The only thing that I noticed that could have been better, especially compared to the other DD games, is that Cooking Dash doesn't explain the different customers' temperaments or speeds during actual game play. If you've played the previous Diner Dash games, you'll be familiar with most of the customers and will quickly learn the idiosyncrasies of the new characters; but for newbies, you'll definitely need to reference the Help section for details.
Like the other DD games, Cooking Dash isn't terribly difficult; but it provides enough of a challenge that I really enjoy playing it. Plus, it's a family-friendly game, as there are no language, alcohol, or violence issues. My best advice is to download the free trial version (30 minutes of game play) and see if you like it. Highly recommended for new and seasoned Diner Dash fans alike!
