Chocolatier 2: Secret Ingredients

The latest in the Chocolatier series is here! Chocolatier 2: Secret Ingredients. This newest adventure is set in the 1920's and follows the granddaughter of Evangeline Baumeister as she tries to revive the fading glory of her family's chocolate business while thwarting the efforts of a mole inside the business, namely her fiance who is in cahoots with the competition! You will be hired to grow the family business while they quarrel amongst themselves, help you find recipes, open new factories, purchase chocolate shops, and travel to new ports like Russia, Casablanca, the Sierra Desert, Himalayas, Phillipines, even Fiji.

There are several intriguing addtions to this game, that the original Chocolatier didn't have. First is the factory itself. Naming your factory and designing the graphics for your billboards was never this much fun. Once inside the factory, the mini matching game that takes your ingredients and makes a case of chocolates for you, has been enhanced to add new mechanics and a harder dimension to the game. The storyline this time involves the Industrial Age, and details have not been overlooked. Model Ts drive around New York, the Golden Gate Bridge and Chrysler Building don't even exist yet, (but they will be constructed the farther you proceed in the game), and the characters who carried over from the original Chocolatier have aged and moved on with their lives. Details like that are what make this a great game.

As I've said previously, I really enjoy winding down at the end of my day with a food related PC game. Don't know why. It just works for me, okay? And this series has beautiful artwork, interesting storyline, and crooked characters.

I even participated in a PlayFirst sponsored Chocolatier Recipe Contest, to create a recipe that would appear in the game, and I was one of 3 lucky winners! Woo Hoo! So while you're haggling over the price of anise, black tea leaves, and saffron, if you come upon a recipe for Gingered Pumpkin Pralines with Macadamia Nuts, go ahead and make a huge batch! They will really be worth your while.

Good luck in your quest to be the next great Chocolatier!

To read reviews of the above game, play trial versions, purchase full versions, or ask game related questions, please visit the game developers websites: http://www.playfirst.com/.

For a reviewer's prospective or free game downloads, check out http://www.gamefairy.blogspot.com/.

HAPPY GAMING!!

Indulge Your Cravings As a Chocolatier

Chocolatier

If I got to choose one last thing to drink before my one last breath, it would be a Large Iced Whole Milk Caramel Latte with Whipped Cream and Caramel Drizzle on top. I am certain of it.

If I had the chance to choose one last dessert before my last breath, I would choose a Creme Brulee, as I personally find it to be the most perfect dessert, made with sugar, cream, and eggs, topped with burnt sugar. YUM. No regrets there.

But if I was asked to choose one last piece of chocolate or candy bar that I wanted to enjoy before my days came to an end....I might die before I had made the choice.

I love chocolate candy. There's no getting around it, or pretending like it isn't the truth. If I could jump in a huge vat of melted chocolate, I would dive in with no hesitation, slather it all over me, or do a cannonball to the bottom of the vat. I have no loyalties to any certain brands either. Hershey's, Lindt, Mars, Nestle, Russel Stovers, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, european brands, etc., you name it, if it contains chocolate, I love it. So it makes perfect sense to me that when I am looking for a little relaxation, I would choose to play a game that involves making and selling chocolates.

Does such a game exist? Of course!

Chocolatier, available at www.playfirst.com, is a casual PC game that I love in which the responsibility of the player is to apprentice for the famous Baumeister family in their chocolate confection business, learning new chocolate recipes, creating them in the factory, and then traveling the world selling your chocolates to the highest bidder.

While you are traveling to ports like Sydney, New York, Maharanja, and Accra, watch for the best prices on ingredients, haggle with vendors, meet other Baumeister family members and previous business acquaintances, and learn the family saga that originally tore this family apart. Perhaps your contributions will help bring them all together again along with a very successful chocolate business.

I love the games graphics. The story line is set in the 1880s and all ports of call, character dress, and manner of travel are reminiscient of that era. While originally playing the trial version, I spent nearly the entire free hour just looking at the artwork and testing out the mini matching game in between game tasks.

My only original dislike once I purchased the game, was its replay value. It seemed rather low to me, and still does to this day, although I can say I have played it multiple times since. It does have a long story line to begin with, so you won't be able to complete the entire game in one sitting anyway, unless you really have nothing better to do. It took me multiple plays to finish my first Chocolatier game, which was 10 years according to the storyline. Right around the time I was getting tired of replaying it, PlayFirst issued a Challenge Circle for online participants to play against each other, which was fun to participate in. There's always room for improvement in your profit margin and weekly sales. The game winners are those that have the highest weekly sales in the least amount of weeks. I came in 3rd place for the Challenge Circle.

Oh well, I knew I shouldn't have paid that price for cacao beans in Trinidad!

To read reviews of the above game, play trial versions, purchase full versions, or ask game related questions, please visit the game developers websites:
www.playfirst.com

For a player's prospective or free game downloads, check out http://www.gamefairy.blogspot.com/.

HAPPY GAMING!!