Review - Monday 1st January 2007 - 12:00am
The most exciting thing about this game is that those who play it for 30 minutes or longer will treat the shopkeepers and other salesmen with much more courtesy in future. Can't say that it this job is too hellish, but it is as close to hell on the earth as possible.
Your character is a cute girl Jill, owner of a small bakery. You start with relatively poor gear and just a few customers, but as you manage to serve them all in right way, your business grows - you can afford more expensive equipment, TV-set and free drinks to entertain your customers while they await for their orders to be done.
What can you offer them? Cakes and only cakes. Cakes of various forms with different cream. Each customer who enters the bakery should get a menu, then they pick the cake they want and an icon appears near them. Jill runs to the oven, makes the cake, then runs to the cream machine and decorates it, after that she has to rush with this cake in her hand to the customer who takes it and leaves the money, and when Jill finally pauses to grab the cash and wipe sweat from her forehead... Ding-dong! A new customer came in and they wish the menu...
There are four stages in the game plus tutorial, and twelve levels in each stage. Each level has its cash goal - you must gain not less than this sum. Fail four times - and the game is over. So, serve the clients as quick as possible because the bakery works for 12 in-game hours per level (around two real-life minutes). The more cash you earn, the more stuff you can buy after you complete the level. Although, the money stacks so it may be better to save it for expensive equipment rather than starting with cheapest things.
The customers aren't all alike as well. There are many kinds of those, and every kind has their features - for example, businessmen are more likely to leave big tips, but they hate to wait for long. If they leave - you lose money.
Also, you can't put the cake back on the table - if you picked up the cake which noone of your customers wants - you have to throw it away and thus lose money as well, so be careful.
The graphics are quite cute, although not really excellent. Jill herself is hot enough, it's wonderful how one manages to save such a shape being a baker! Music is very good, but it plays only in menu or between levels, while playing you hear only sounds and they start being annoying after tenth level, if you decide to complete all the game without taking a long break.
Although, overall impression is rather positive. As I stated in the beginning, this game may help you to treat the poor salesmen in fairier way, after playing poor Jill you'll see that they do indeed deserve that!
