For a management game from the height of the Tycoon era (shortly following the massive success of Rollercoaster Tycoon) this little gem breaks the most widely accepted rule. It's fun. The surprisingly heartfelt story focuses on a young chef taking over his family restaurant and taking on the massive corporate restaurant chain. The delivery is light hearted without being vacuous and still manages to carry a message of supporting the underdog. The game itself starts a little too easy, the first couple levels are pretty much just tutorials, but the difficulty quickly boils up. As with the best management games the heart of the game is finding the little jagged edge in your well oiled machine and smoothing it to gleaming sheen. Here the game is modeled to an admirable depth. There is always something that can be improved. Perhaps building a new dumbwaiter or hiring more waiting staff to speed up serving times. Perhaps adding a new recipe will revitalise interest in your restaurant? Theres always something you can do to squeeze out a slightly bigger profit or that extra restaurant star. It also includes a wide selection of recipes to try for yourself if you are left inspired by the game and don't mind risking third degree burns and the smell of asparagus.
