Gamezebo: Reviews | Time Management

Delicious - Emily's Holiday Season Review

erin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:59:01 -0600

Cook and waitress Emily is back for another culinary adventure in Delicious: Emily's Holiday Season. After deciding to stay in the peaceful and cozy town of Snuggford, Emily and her long-time friend Francois find themselves having to care for five different restaurants. This latest installment of the popular Delicious series again proves to be one of the most creative and unique time management game available.

Cat Wash Review

erin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:36:33 -0600

Cat Wash is a quirky time management game that has you washing cats in a disco-themed pet salon. Pet grooming games are nothing new, but cat washing games are rare, combined with a theme that jumped straight out of the 1970s...well, the whole combination is something new.

While washing a muddy kitty, Susie wonders out loud if there's an easier solution to keeping cats clean. Her groovy Uncle Oswaldo overhears, and invents Feline Wash-o-Matic -- a cat washing machine that cats actually enjoy. At the center of this radical contraption is a disco floor that would do any disco queen proud. Thus, the Cat Wash was born.

Jojo's Fashion Show World Tour Review

erin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:19:29 -0500

True classics never go out of style; they just get better with time. Happily, the same can be said for the Jojo's Fashion Show series. Jojo's Fashion Show World Tour is the crème de la crème of time management games, surpassing the previous games in its depth of game play and creative possibilities. With dozens of new twists, hours of game play, and real up-to-date fashions, even the most unfashionable players will be bitten by the fashion bug.

Tourist Trap Review

erin — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:20:00 -0500

A town with $1 million in debts surely does sound familiar to a lot of people nowadays. Accumulating debt is very easy without a doubt, but what can be done to pay them back? What is still a mysterious question in reality is absolutely no problem in Tourist Trap, the new building simulation by developer Zemnott. But while the idea of building attractions sounds fun, Tourist Trap turns out to be as exciting as looking for a needle in a haystack.

Flora's Fruit Farm Review

erin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:29:04 -0500

Kindness does pay - just ask Flora. She's exploring her new orchard when she meets an old man and helps him load fruit onto his cart. In return, the mysterious man gives her a magnificent gift: a pair of magical gloves that let her grow fruit trees with the touch of a finger. It's your job to get the orchard buzzing again in Flora's Fruit Farm, a new time management game published by Eidos and developed by Honeyslug.

Kitchen Brigade Review

erin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 23:09:13 -0500

Sometimes I wish that I lived in the Land of Casual Games. If I did, there would be a ridiculous number of restaurants, each serving the best quality foods they could muster while I stood there at the counter, hearts ticking away. If I could choose a restaurant to go to, Kitchen Brigade would be high on that list.

In Kitchen Brigade you are a young, aspiring chef (are there any other kinds?) who just won a big cooking competition. Unfortunately, after taxes, tuition from cooking school and buying your own place, you're left with the shirt on your back and big dreams. But, not long after opening your restaurant, you're invited to join the Kitchen Brigade game show.

Nanny 911 Review

erin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:54:13 -0500

"Never fear, Nanny is here," says Nanny Stella of Nanny 911, the TV show that inspired this game. Parents with their own children may not care to play Nanny 911 when they already live and breathe the job, and everyone else might find that playing the unoriginal time management game often feels more punishing than entertaining.

Miriel's Enchanted Mystery Review

erin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:06:58 -0500

Our favorite trader of delicious recipes, magical potions, and elegant fabrics Miriel is back for another adventure in Miriel's Enchanted Mystery. Again you will find yourself within a story full of magic, schemes, and travels. The second part of the series tries to combine the classic formulas of time management and hidden-object gameplay, but will it really succeed? Or is Miriel's Enchanted Mystery just another lame attempt to satisfy two different audiences at the same time?

Horatio's Travels Review

erin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:01:53 -0500

Horatio's Travels puts you in the shoes...er, flippers...of a penguin entrepreneur as he sets off to bring yummy ice cream around the globe. Given the cartoonish graphics and overall cuteness and simplicity, I'd have to say that it's a game made for kids or families, and not your typical time management fan.

Horatio is an odd penguin. He's just not satisfied with penguin life, so he sets off on an adventure and becomes a traveling ice cream vendor. The game follows his adventures as he travels across eight locations and 55 levels to bring ice cream to cute fuzzy animals, some with disturbing large heads.

Cake Mania: Main Street Review

erin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 08:12:15 -0500

Sandlot Games sort of went off the deep end for Cake Mania 3, sending our favorite heroine baker Jill on a freaky time-traveling journey to recover missing family members and serve up thousands of delicious frosted delights for a menagerie of dinosaurs, mummies, and wizards. Cake Mania: Main Street sees Jill settling back into the slightly more normal routine of trying to revive her hometown of Bakersfield. This time she brought her friends, and there's a lot far more than baking in store for you.

The Village Mage - Spellbinder Review

erin — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 08:54:41 -0500

So much for modern medicine. The Village Mage - Spellbinder is a multitasking match-3 and time management hybrid that has you whipping up magic potions to cure everyone in the village. With all the talk about health care reform, it must be nice to live in a world where everything can be cured with dandelions and mushrooms!

The story is barely there, but sets up the theme. Your receive your alchemists degree, and hope to open up your own alchemists' s academy someday, so you head home and quickly convert your parent's house into a shop. Now you're all ready to play.

Mr. Jones' Graveyard Shift Review

erin — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:48:00 -0500

Running a graveyard is certainly not common scenery for a casual game, but that is exactly what the player will have to do in Mr. Jones' Graveyard Shift. However, if the soil at Mr. Jones graveyard is as buggy as the game itself, we can only pity his future customers.

Cooking Dash: DinerTown Studios Review

erin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:55:55 -0500

In Cooking Dash - DinerTown Studios Gilda, Flo's college roommate, invites her, Cookie and Grandma Florence to the set of her new show. Not surprisingly (at least if you're familiar with any of PlayFirst's Dash games), as soon as the women arrive they'll be required to make use of their top notch cooking skills. Will the second installment by Playfirst and Aliasworlds be an as entertaining and witty challenge as every dash fan expects it to be, or will players have to face a letdown?

Kelly Green: Garden Queen Review

erin — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:27:11 -0500

In Kelly Green: Garden Queen, it is your task to help Kelly with managing her inherited nursery. Farming is not exactly a rare setting when it comes to time management games, but this game not only feels fresh but is one of the best time management games of the year so far.

Kelly actually considers herself a city girl, and prefers cooking over farming. But when she inherits her grandparents' nursery, she has no choice but to learn the ropes. In 50 levels that cover the four different seasons, the player has to help Kelly, her brother Neil and two other characters to lead the nursery back to its former glory.

Party Planner Review

erin — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:22:02 -0500

Pepper has the rare chance to combine two very pleasant opportunities by moving to Bashville. She is able to reconnect with her three childhood friends, and, with their support, finally launch her party-planning business. And this is exactly what Party Planner, the new release by developer GamesCafe who already brought you the Sally series (Sally's Salon, Sally's Spa), is about: hosting fantabulous parties.

Burger Shop 2 Review

erin — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:38:39 -0500

It's safe to say that if you liked Burger Shop, you're going to love Burger Shop 2. The fast-paced assembly-line time management game is just as fun as the original and, like any good sequel, expands on the formula with additional levels and fun new twists like extra dishes, characters and trophies.

Passport to Perfume Review

erin — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:57:32 -0500

Join Sophia, an adventure-seeker and perfume extraordinaire from the 1940's in Passport to Perfume as she travels the world to find the illusive scent of Marie Antoinette's own fragrance. Mix, match, and create new scents all while managing your own shop in this new time management title brought to you by PlayFirst and Mean Hamster Software.

Sara's Super Spa Deluxe Review

erin — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:38:37 -0500

Help wanted - hyperactive salon stylist. Your job involves plucking nose hair, washing cavity-filled mouths, and applying blue hair extensions to bald men. If this sort of thing appeals to you, then go down to Sara's Super Spa for an application. This is one time management game that's hard to forget!

Sarah's Super Spa Deluxe is an expanded version of Shockwave's popular Web game Sara's Super Spa. The story is minimalist. It starts with Sarah and her best friend Gisele shopping for new locations for the spa. After a bunch of let downs, they finally settle in one at the top floor of the shopping mall.

Farm Frenzy 3 Review

erin — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 10:43:03 -0500

Alawar's Farm Frenzy 3 is the fourth title in the Farm Frenzy series, a time management game where you have to meet different, and sometimes conflicting, goals like owning five goats or baking 10 cakes. The previous Farm Frenzy Pizza Party may have gotten too complicated for some players, and Farm Frenzy 3 takes a big jump backwards in gameplay, while adding more of a story and some international locations. Sadly, though, the result is also a step backwards in fun. It's still a playable game, but it lacks the charm of earlier titles.

Megaplex Madness: Summer Blockbuster Review

joel — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:38:31 -0500

If you've ever gone to the movie theaters to escape the summer heat, then you'll appreciate the premise of Megaplex Madness - Summer Blockbuster. It's a frantic time management game that's full of new twists, with a flexible difficulty level that's sure to challenge even the most seasoned players.

Megaplex Madness - Summer Blockbuster may be big on game play, but it's light on story. After successfully restoring five historic theaters in the first Megaplex Madness, you decide to tackle something even more ambitious - building a huge movie Megaplex from the ground up. This enormous theater has five sections, each themed according to the movies shown there, like Sci-Fi, Action Hero, Romance, Western, and Horror flicks.

Jane's Zoo Review

erin — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:48:19 -0500

So far, Jane has run half a dozen hotels, a real estate business, and a chain of clothing stores. What's next for the dynamic red head? In Jane's Zoo, the latest hectic time management game by Realore, we find out that Jane has a new dream - to rescue the world's animals from environmental pollution.

While out exploring Africa, Jane finds a beautiful savanna being destroyed by an ugly factory. The wild animals need Jane's help, and she's determined to save them. She swiftly organizes a relief fund to help zoos all over the world. The connection is a bit loose, but regardless, she gets straight down to work and heads off to the first zoo in Europe.

Youda Sushi Chef Review

erin — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:01:35 -0500

If you want a sushi game that really teaches you about sushi, you're about to get your wish. Youda Sushi Chef is a deliciously frantic time management game that has you rolling up maki and serving nigiri to an endless barrage of hungry customers. Aside from the rapid pace, it's full of quirky originality, and definitely not your typical restaurant dash.

As a budding sushi chef, you've invested all of your savings into your new sushi business, and you have just one week to make it work. How's that for pressure? As both the new owner and chef, you certainly have your hands full.

Bilbo: Four Corners of the World Review

joel — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:40:32 -0500

If you're looking for Lord of the Rings, keep searching. Bilbo is the name of a hamster that enters the restaurant biz. While restaurant themes reign in time management, the recipe of Bilbo - The Four Corners of the World adds a soupcon of Cooking Mama, a dash of Diner Dash and cup of originality.

Lovely Kitchen Review

erin — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:11:37 -0500