GAME REVIEW

Gaming gourmet

 'Restaurant Empire' serves up a tasty dish

Review by Matt Leppard

Game: Restaurant Empire
Publisher: Enlight
Game Type: Business simulation
Game rating: All
Minimum system requirements: 500 MHz Pentium III processor or better, 128 MB RAM, 4x CD-ROM, 700 MB hard drive space, 3D graphics card, DirectX 8
Reviewer's opinion: 4 out of 5 plates of fried rice

I'm getting a bit bored of shoot-'em-ups. I mean, they're all the same � whatever the plot and setting, all you really have to do is shoot the bad guys. End of story. So when the generous folks at New Era Interactive sent me Restaurant Empire to review, I was quite excited as this is the sort of game that requires thinking and planning rather than just clicking the fire button and wasting your enemies.

And while I may be the Editor of Student Weekly, my social life isn't full of hi-so parties and posh dinners with important people (well, not all the time) so I decided to play this one at home during a quiet weekend.

What's it about

In Restaurant Empire, you play a chef who has inherited a closed-up restaurant from your uncle with the challenge of getting the place running again (and beating the big business bad boys). This kind of game is quite old now, but Enlight Software, the maker of Restaurant Empire, has managed to cook up some new ideas and serve up a game that is full of originality.

As Trevor LeBoeuf, fresh out of chef school, you take over the family business and set up your renovated restaurant with the idea of making money. However, as you progress through the game, it turns out that making money is only a part of your duties. Once the business is profitable, you will move into the next mode, building your reputation as a talented chef by entering cookery competitions. There is also a "sandbox mode" that lets you practise without worrying about the storyline and which offers a few game alternatives such as choice of chef, location of restaurant, etc.

How do you play it?

Ignoring the Sandbox Mode, Restaurant Empire starts with an introduction to the story and a very lengthy tutorial. The tutorial is absolutely essential even for those of us who prefer to get straight into the action � and you have no option to skip it anyway. You will learn how to control the camera action, how to drag and drop objects, and how to move around town as well as your own restaurant. The camera action is kind of clunky and you'll find yourself spinning around and around a few times so take some time to get used to it.

After the introduction, you start by decorating your restaurant then progress to choose recipes, your staff, and what sort of food you specialise in. Then you have to attract customers and get them to eat your food. It all sounds very simple, but once the tutorial is over and you're on your own, it can get pretty complicated. Staff may be rude to customers and may need to be fired, or you may get complaints that the menu is too expensive, so you have to lower prices. Within 20 minutes of opening my restaurant, I had to add in more seats as there were too many customers, fire four staff members, and completely change my menu. That's when the money started rolling in.

Complaints about the game? Well, as stated above, some of the camera controls are hard to use and there are so many screens and options that it can get pretty confusing. The other major complaint is that the graphics are a bit chunky given the power of most modern computers and the colours are a little dull. Also, in many of the scenes, characters don't talk to each other � you have to actually read the dialogue.

The final verdict

All the above grumbles are minor complaints which do not really detract from what is a great game. After a weekend of playing it, I finally mastered all the controls and have a fully functioning restaurant. Watching the customers come in, eat, then pay their money is almost as rewarding as if it was real. The game is absorbing and gives you a taste of what it is like running a real establishment. Most of all, it is highly addictive and you don't have to shoot someone (unless they overcook the eggs). Highly recommended.

Hints and tips

The official site for this game can be found at www.restaurant-empire.com. Unlike many official sites, this does offer more than a simple preview of the game � for example, you can import characters from other games, such as The SIMS or change the look of the wallpaper and floors of your restaurant. To get your "real world" experience from this game, you shouldn't really be trying to cheat (think of it the same way as corruption), but if you can't resist, go to www.ggmania.com/cheat.php3?cheat=7331.

Vocabulary

plot (n): the series of events which form the story of a novel, play, film/movie, etc.
generous (adj): giving or willing to give freely; given freely
posh (adj): elegant and expensive
inherit (v): if you inherit a particular situation from somebody, you are now responsible for dealing with it
originality (n): the quality of being new
renovate (v): to repair and paint an old building, a piece of furniture, etc. so that it is in good condition again
lengthy (adj): very long, and often too long, in time or size
skip (v): to not do something that you usually do or should do
specialise (v): to become an expert in a particular area of work, study or business
fire (v): in this use, to force somebody to leave their job
dialogue (n): conversations in a book, play, or film/movie
detract (v): to make something seem less good or enjoyable