If the day-to-day routine of running a restaurant isn't exciting enough, gastrogaming may be the answer. The latest addition to the video game industry includes three new culinary games for foodies and those who work in the industry.
The first game, Hell's Kitchen, is just like the TV show. Gordon Ramsey watches every move the player makes, yelling, swearing, occasionally praising, and even shutting down some kitchens. There are different modes, beginning in career mode, with the opportunity to build up to a five-star restaurant. Ramsey shares his recipes, some of which are exclusive to game owners. Games work on both PCs and Macs and are available for Nintendo Wii, the home video console and Nintendo DS, the dual screen hand-held game console.
Two other games, Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine and Cooking Mama: Cook Off are intended for Nintendo Wii and DS. Cooking Mama features 55 recipes and 300 ingredients. The game is a cooking simulation and players use the Wii remote to cut, slice, dice and mix ingredients. The player's score is based on how quickly and skillfully recipes are executed.
Iron Chef America is based on the TV show of the same name wherein players earn the title of Iron Chef by meeting the chairman's many fast-paced culinary challenges.