Save your grandparent's bakery in Majesco's addictive Cake Mania!

The first quarter of 2007 will see the release of Majesco's Cake Mania on Nintendo's handheld. Developed by Digital Embryo, Cake Mania allows players to take on the role of a young woman, Jill, who is out to save her grandparents' bakery by selling her delicious home-made cakes. More of a 'bakery sim' than a true cooking game, Cake Mania's demo recieved a warm reception at the recent CES show in Las Vegas. Gamers able to get past Cake Mania's flowery exterior and simple mechanics were rewarded with a surprisingly addictive experience.

Cake Mania can't really be described as a cooking game, as players won't find themselves mixing or chopping ingredients. Instead, players use the touch screen to direct the protagonist to different parts of the bakery in order to perform the tasks required to complete each cake. Each cake requires a number of distinct steps, all performed using the stylus. When a customer enters the bakery, for example, the player must direct Jill to the counter and click on the customer to hand them a menu.

While the gameplay may sound extremely simple, it can become quite complicated and overwhelming when Jill has a long line of impatient customers and five cakes all in different stages of production. If you make a mistake on a cake, or a customer leaves after waiting too long, the cost of the cake is deducted from your monthly bottom line. If you make too many mistakes, or go too slow, you won't meet your monthly goal and your grandparents will be doomed to a life of hard labor.

As the game becomes more demanding, however, Jill can shop for upgrades to her equipment. She can purchase multiple ovens and frosting stations, for example, allowing her to work on more than one cake at once. Also available are items which make customers more patient. A TV distracts them, while a microwave allows Jill to bake cupcakes to hand out as free samples. This is important both to prevent them from leaving when things are backed up, and because Jill recieves tips from satisfied customers that can significantly boost her monthly profits.

Cake Mania seems like a natural choice to port to the DS. It provides a surprisingly deep gameplay experience with controls that adapt perfectly to the console. It's simple enough to appeal to children, with enough depth to appease even the veteran gamers brave enough to give it a try. Even players familiar with the PC version may want to pick up the DS release. It features an all new mode in which Jill takes part in a contest, baking in exotic locales around the world. For newcomers who may want to try Cake Mania without risking their thirty bucks, an hour-long free demo is available for the PC.