Cooking Mama: World Kitchen

While the two Cooking Mama games released for the DS were runaway successes, the series' first foray on the Wii, Cooking Mama: Cook Off, was a mixed bag. The core concept was solid, but the graphics were bland, and, worse, the motion-sensitive controls were unreliable. It was a fraction the fun of its handheld counterparts. Thankfully, World Kitchen solves these problems. The cute and stylish new visual design makes the game substantially easier on the eyes and facilitates some pleasant little sight gags, such as when our chef uses a spice shaker improperly and sneezes, giving rise to a puff of flour. And the controls are now much more forgiving; there is no longer a need to worry about holding the remote just so while pouring a liquid into a cup or stirring up batter.

However, it can be difficult to figure out just what it is you're supposed to be doing. There aren't any cooking tutorials, and the onscreen control cues are often vague. Consequently, players will typically fail half of the steps in most recipes the first time they try them. It becomes less of an issue as you slowly work out what to do with the remote, but those early culinary attempts can be frustrating. Still, it's not a fatal flaw. Once you get a grip on all of the preparation activities, Cooking Mama: World Kitchen will likely prove as addictive as the chocolate clairs you create.