I can cook! At least in video games.

Cooking Mama for the Nintendo DS is one of those games that you don't really hear much about. It was never heavily advertised. I think the only reason that I have the game is that I read maybe a sentence about it in some video game magazine, and then happened to see the game used for sale in the mall one day, and got curious.

The game has little in the way of a plot. Basically, all you do is cook food, and if you do it the way Mama wants, then she congratulates you, and if not, then you fail.

The game starts you off with about 10 fairly easy dishes to get you started (think plain white rice), and as you cook those properly, you unlock more choices. I think there are about 60 different foods, which get harder as you go. They are mainly Asian-styled foods (fried octopus balls, fried rice, etc.), although there are some foods that aren't, like pizza, and pasta. I think my favorite is the cup of Ramen noodles, because it's so funny.

Even the easiest recipes are broken down into small steps. You need to chop each vegetable, stir in each ingredient, keep changing the temperature on the stove and make sure you are stirring and blowing on the pot at the proper time. If you can't keep up, then you make a mess or burn the food, and that doesn't make Mama very happy!

This game makes good use of the Nintendo DS. The majority of the game uses the touch screen. If you're playing in public, be prepared for odd looks as you get into the game, because chopping veggies can be fun! The coolest step, though, is when you blow on the food to cool it. I can't tell you how many times I've been sitting there, blowing on the DS to blow on the food, when my husband walks into the room and wonders what I am doing.

The game is very easy to play. There are time limits on each step, but once you get a hang of the different cooking techniques, the time isn't much of an issue. All ages will enjoy this game- it is child friendly, with cute music and happy, colorful graphics. It's also great because you can play the game for a few minutes and then put it down, without getting too wrapped up in the game or losing your place next time you want to play.

Overall, I think this game is great if you want a game that's easy and fun to play, without too much time commitment involved. This game will run about $20, but if you keep a look out at the video game stores, you can find it used for cheaper. I love this game because it makes me feel like a cook, even though I burn everything in real life!