Prior to posting this review, we'd never played a time management type game before. It sounded like something we might want to try out, so we downloaded a few from the App Store to have a go at. This one stood out as a very well packaged offering, so we decided to have a closer look.

In this style of game, there's a timer which shows how much time you have to deal with new events. By leveraging the time it takes to do a task against how much patience the customers have, the goal is to be as efficient as possible without upsetting people. As the game progresses, you'll upgrade your equipment to help you deal with an ever increasing stream of new people and new tasks to do. It's the kind of game that is well suited to touch controls.

And we're not let down here - tasks are queued up as you touch the different machines or customers to see to them. At it's most basic, you'll tap the customer to hand them a menu, then tap the chocolate machine to produce a box, tap the machine again to pick it up, tap the customer to hand him/her the box, and tap the counter to collect the cash. If you're quick, they'll tip you - and different customers have different tip levels. For example, businessmen are extremely impatient, so will have to be served quickly - but they are generous tippers, whereas old ladies will often forget the tip.

Eventually you'll be juggling multiple machines at once - candy helps to keep the custom sweet, and hot chocolate is a must - you'll slow right down without it. Additionally, you'll be answering trivia questions for cash over the phone, and there's a bonus stage in the form of a match3 puzzle, to help make new speciality chocolate. Unfortunately it's rather generic, and mostly luck based. In this game of strategic decision making, we'd have preferred a different mini game.

To score big, combo bonuses are awarded for doing the same thing in quick succession. An example is that if you leave four piles of money on the counter and collect them all at once, you'll score much more than picking one up, then doing something else. But watch out, because thieves will try and grab the cash on the later levels, so it's best not to leave it out too long.

Any levels can be revisited to improve your score - and so that you don't miss out on the game's achievements - some of which are simple (like catching 10 thieves), and others more difficult (playing the game for 10 hours is questionable, as we were finished with the story in 2). As well as the story mode, you have the option of playing an endless shift at the shop, or matching threes for points on the leaderboard.

The problem the game has is ultimately it's difficulty. It's really easy. Most levels can be blitzed through in a matter of minutes. There's also no strategic upgrading - all the machines are upgraded automatically. But we don't think this will be a problem for those new to the genre - we actually enjoyed the game a lot even with it's flaws.

The rest is sweet. The presentation is great, from the chirpy sound effects to the casual music, and the game really pops on the iPhone's screen - the variety of customers with their own personalities and subsequent angry looks if they don't get served quickly were really funny. In all we're glad we tried this game out. Those not new to the genre won't find a different, unique feature set - but it's nevertheless a cute, addictive game for chocolate lovers everywhere.

Media gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 

More by this developer

California Gold Rush, B

Review by Ben Briggs, June 15, 2009

Why not try...

---

• 

  G.Blacksmith

• 

  Airport Mania: First Flight

• 

  Virtual City

• 

  Stand O’Food HD