Nintendo DS Lite Game Reviews
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Review: Cooking Mama (DS)

Score: 81

Perhaps proving that not all games have to be 'games', Cooking Mama evokes both admiration and boredom in me. Admiration that there's a genuinely educational side to the title and boredom in that it's about cooking, something which I personally find as exciting as watching paint dry.

Cooking Mama

As you'll see from the screenshots, presentation is all done with cartoons. The idea is for your child to follow the instructions for each recipe, tackling simple tasks like grating, mixing and chopping, setting the over timer, etc.

Screen

It's all done with the stylus and it's hard to get things badly wrong - even if you make a complete mess of things, 'Mama will fix it!' I'd say Cooking Mama is aimed at 4 to 9 year old girls, with the main proviso being that they can read well enough to understand the instructions.

Screen

As an educational tool to encourage children to take an interest in cooking, in how dishes are made and have a little fun (/earn some points) in the process, Cooking Mama's spot on.

But for the average DS Lite gamer, this is one title that you probably want to pass on.

(Buy Cooking Mama for the Nintendo DS Lite now)