Imagine my delight when I stumbled upon a little gem in the form of Cooking Mama, a charming DS game that allows me to dish up a tempting array of food using the DS stylus and touch screen. The game’s titular character, Mama, or Okasan in the Japanese version of the game, guides you through a series of mini games in order to cook up a grand total of 76 recipes. There are several game modes available in Cooking Mama, but generally you will be required to perform tasks such as chopping, mixing, stirring and frying to cook delicious dishes like grilled mackerel, seafood curry and chicken kabobs. My personal favorite is the squid tempura!

I simply love playing this charming game. Whenever I’m waiting for buses and trains, I’ll pull out my trusty DS Lite and load up Cooking Mama. While the game lacks depth, it’s a simple and entertaining game nonetheless. Kids will love it for its colorful and cute graphics while adults like me will enjoy passing time with the delightful game play that’s not too taxing on the mind. This isn’t Brain Age, after all!

Cooking Mama 1 Tip: Impatient players can bring up the main menu, then press B, B, B, Up, Down, Right, in order to unlock ALL recipes! Me, I prefer obtaining them one at a time. Happy cooking!