SpongeBob vs. The Big One: Beach Party Cook-Off (Nintendo DS)

Bikini Bottom's resident surfer dude Jack Kahuna Laguna decides to throw a big beach party and hold a contest to decide which restaurant gets to cater it. SpongeBob is determined to help the Krusty Krab win, but to do so he has to hire Plankton's cousins as extra kitchen help and teach them how to cook. SPONGEBOB VS. THE BIG ONE: BEACH PARTY COOK-OFF follows in the footsteps of Cooking Mama by offering 25 cooking-themed mini-games in which players use the Nintendo DS stylus to simulate actions like chopping vegetables, pounding dough, flipping patties, and garnishing salads and sundaes.

The Krusty Krab kitchen is divided into four stations; Prep, Grill, Fry and Plating. When a customer requests a dish, various Plankton will start working on it. The problem is, they aren't very good, so often you'll need to jump in and help them finish the job. Perform well, and you'll earn cash and other bonuses. From the Management menu, you can set your menu by swapping unlocked recipes in and out, buying new furniture for the restaurant, and checking in on the skills of your workers, which increase every time they perform an action. The more skilled they are, the less you'll have to help them.

Although it clearly borrows its concept from Cooking Mama, and isn't quite as refined, Beach Party Cook-Off does a good job of adapting the formula for SpongeBob fans. The game is fully voice-acted, and the Plankton look cute as they work away in the kitchen. With more than 100 recipes to unlock (many of them SpongeBob themed like seaweed salad and the Bubble Bass Special), the game offers a decent length and support for up to four-person multiplayer. It's just a shame there isn't more of an ongoing story in between levels to break up the action.

Available on: Nintendo DS
Not available online
Genre: Time management
Developer: THQ
Released on: March 3, 2009
Price: 29.99
ESRB Rating: E for (No Descriptors)