Downloads

Who knew waiting tables could be so much fun? The Diner Dash premise is very simple: You play Flo, the owner and sole waitress of a small restaurant. You must seat customers, bring them their food, and clean up when they're done. Although this may sound like it might be about as much fun as, say, blue-collar minimum-wage work, the Diner Dash series is exciting and addictive. The Diner Dash series has now branched out into three main games and a host of spinoffs with similar gameplay in different settings.

The main challenge is time. The "Dash" in the title is no misnomer; you must constantly race around as your impatient customers' mood (and willingness to leave large tips) constantly dwindles. Different customer types have different needs, and winning the game--past the first few tutorial levels--requires constant awareness of multiple ongoing events as customers order, eat, ask for their checks, or stand ever-more-impatiently in line. Losing even one table can make a level unwinnable. Fortunately, you can always replay a level without being sent back to the beginning of the game.

All of the Diner Dash games follow this formula, with the differences being different customer types and different framing stories. In Diner Dash: Hometown Hero, Flo returns to her roots, only to find that the town she remembers is decaying. The solution is to buy up some of the failing restaurants and revitalize them, beginning with the caf? at the Zoo. With each level completed, you gain an upgrade. Some are purely decorative, such as replacing the ratty-looking starting counter with one of three more attractive ones, but most are functional--such as sneakers to help Flo run faster, or an oven that prepares food more quickly.

Diner Dash: Hometown Hero Gourmet Edition requires no knowledge of previous Diner Dash games. It's perfectly standalone and is not for "advanced" players, though players who have enjoyed the others will almost certainly enjoy the new settings and options this one provides.

In addition to "story" mode, where you help Flo revitalize the town, there is also an "Endless Shift" mode, where you keep playing until you have lost too many tables, seeking to just rack up a high score. The PC-Only "Gourmet Edition" includes over 500 decorative or clothing options and a multiplayer mode. The game also allows you to buy--for real cash money--additional in-game items, such as uniforms for your custom waiter avatar or fancy restaurant backdrops. These items are not needed to play or enjoy the game.

While Diner Dash: Hometown Hero is a casual game, it is not a slow-paced one; it does not require the insane twitch reflexes of a hyperactive mongoose, but it is not a game for those who like to slowly ponder their moves. Speedy response is required, lest customers grow impatient and leave.

Note: This link goes to the vendor's site, where you can download the software.

--Ian Harac