Cake Mania review

A big PC cake squeezes into a tiny DS oven and loses its shape in the process

12DOVE Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Easy to grasp

  • +

    Completely fam friendly

  • +

    Cheap

Cons

  • -

    Tiny details onscreen

  • -

    Running out of lives

  • -

    Impatient customers

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There's a line of people out the door, you're running three ovens and frosting stations, the cupcakes are still in the microwave, and the guy in the pink bunny costume is melting down because you mistakenly gave him a red-frosted, egg-shaped cake instead of the round, chocolate one with the sailboat. If only his favorite TV show was on...

This is a completely typical scenario in Cake Mania, a cute little bargain-priced title in which you play a baker's granddaughter determined to save the family business. It's basically a real-time puzzle game with you zipping around taking customers' orders, then baking them up cakes with the requested shape, frosting color, and decorations before they lose their patience and leave you holding an ownerless confection destined to be thrown away uneaten - and unpaid for.

It's easy to grasp, and it can be legitimately fun. Especially on PC, where the game is a huge hit with that same casual market that made Bejeweled and Luxor deserved smashes. If you happen to know the PC original, you'll be pleased to know that this version features the full 84 levels, including the Back to the Bakery expansion pack.

More info

GenreSimulation
DescriptionIt's harmless, it's family-friendly, and it's got some charm, but this casual PC downloadable game turned DS cart suffers in the transition to the small screen.
Platform"DS"
US censor rating"Everyone"
UK censor rating"Rating Pending"
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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