Cooking Mama is a game that clearly shows the potholes and speed bumps that litter the road as casual games become more common amongst all gamers. It is a game that got reviewed as very average, yet has sold tons of copies and - unlike typical licensed games that sell loads despite bad reviews - remains a favorite for players who have enjoyed the experience on the Nintendo DS or Wii. I know it is a family favorite - in a family gathering over the recent Thanksgiving get-together, Cooking Mama was a game that united gamers and non-gamers, kids and adults. Everyone had a blast playing the game - yet that doesn't mean that the reviewers were 'wrong' in a traditional sense.

To further pontificate (don't worry, I'll be done soon), the problem with reviewers and games like Cooking Mama is that they have a hard time assigning context. For example, if I reviewed a game like Jump Start Toddler, I wouldn't expect spelling tasks that would challenge a middle-schooler, I would be looking for challenges that would be tuned to be fun, engaging and not too hard for someone who is just becoming adept at handling a mouse and clicking buttons. It is critical to develop a context and evaluate the game you are playing within that context. So, down off the soapbox and into the kitchen, because it is time to get back to cooking with mama once again!

Before I even start sharpening my knives, let me make one thing clear - if you didn't like Cooking Mama, or found it incidental fun you barely touched, you won't like Cooking Mama 2: Dinner With Friends. This sequel does little to change the recipe of the original, instead adding some side dishes and garnishes that will provide fans of the original plenty of reasons to grab it. At its core the gameplay is very simple - you simply follow a series of steps to create a variety of recipes using the stylus. If you are asked to stir a pot, you swirl the stylus in the direction indicated; if you are asked to slice or chop, you either move the stylus in the indicated direction or tap on the chopper to accomplish your task. And that is pretty much all there is to the game - follow instructions and create recipes.

There is also the small detail that you cannot mess up any critical steps or the dish will be ruined and that Mama looks at you with flaming eyes when you do make serious mistakes. There is also the fact that many steps are time-sensitive, so if you don't manage to complete tasks in time you will render the dish inedible. That is where the fun starts - you are challenged to complete each task 'even better than Mama' - or deal with Mama's wrath! Seriously though, Mama simply grades you based on how you do with each step of the recipe and then assigns an overall grade. You can even save your completed dishes to the Journal and add unlocked garnishes to dress up the meal.

And that is pretty much it - sure, there is variety in the recipes, plus a game mode where you cook for different characters and even the ability to obtain some completely useless 'dress-ups' for Mama. Things like glasses and cheerleading uniforms and decorations for her kitchen are available, and while they are useless, they are fun little extras. Other additions include new friends that want you to cook their special meal - there are a couple you can unlock. The challenge here is that there is no 'practice' mode - you just start making the meal! You definitely want to practice all of the cooking steps for a while before taking these on. This mode adds a nice challenge and some variety to the game. Mama's friends are quite exacting - mess up one little thing and there is no 'Mama will fix it': you fail and have to start from the beginning again.

Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends is loaded with mini-games, some better than others. Generally it comes down to the controls - can you reliably make things happen or are you swiping the stylus in frustration as the eggs remain not cracked or the apples not peeled or the pot not stirred? Fortunately almost everything works well - but it seems that each player has a personal 'hated mini-game' that drives them nuts: for some it is stirring, for others it is arranging items and for some it is cracking eggs or something else entirely.

One of the coolest things with the original game was the simple but addictive multiplayer. Fortunately this remains every bit as simple and fun in the sequel - and also fortunately download play is still featured. Multiplayer is a straight competition for fastest time between players completing tasks. Once again, it might not be the deepest or broadest multiplayer one could imagine for the game, but it augments the single player mode perfectly. This was fun during a recent long car trip, as my wife borrowed my DS and played against both of our kids - they mixed up single player and multiplayer and all had a blast.

Perhaps the easiest criticism of Cooking Mama 2 is that it is largely just more of the same - the game takes what you did in the original and extends it somewhat, but mostly doesn't mess with the 'original recipe' very much. But a quick survey of my family tells me what I already knew - they did things exactly right. Casual gamers will not have tapped every depth of the original, so the sequel delivers just enough new stuff mixed with plenty of familiar territory that folks will come to the new game with a certain sense of expertise, yet will still have plenty of room for new accomplishments.

Cooking Mama 2: Dinner With Friends is much like its predecessor - it is perfectly tuned for non-hardcore gamers and therefore frustrating to those used to evaluating games designed with that audience in mind. I recommend that everyone take a step back, a deep breath and remember the context around this game: an experience that is simple to pick up, simple to put down, playable in short bursts, easy enough for non-gamers while challenging enough for experienced gamers and fun, Fun, FUN! And in that context the game is an absolute success - it is the game that you will find all sorts people searching out over time. From the non-gamer to the hardcore, everyone will enjoy some cooking time with Mama!

Reviewed by Michael Anderson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).