If you played the first Chocolatier game, you already know the basics of globe-trotting for ingredients and selling your confections at the best price. But there are innovations. Chocolatier 2--set 40 years after its predecessor--replaces the 1880s feel of the first game with a 1920s theme complete with Art Deco menus, vintage music, and a diverse cast of characters. Tweaks to the cities and the chocolate-making process add fun, but the most important addition is the Chocolate Tasting Laboratory. Once you unlock the laboratory, a white-coated chocolatier helps you discover taste sensations like Chocolate-Covered Ants.
Chocolatier 2 is a business simulation game. Haggling is key, but it's not the answer in every situation--don't even try to get a deal if your supplier or buyer already looks like they're in a bad mood. (That said, the dialogue is well-written and often funny, even when you're getting a price hike in return for failed sweet-talk.) Timing is everything: If you buy seasonal ingredients, follow a city's chocolate consumption trends, and make sure your factories never run out of ingredients, you're well on your way to success. An overarching plot about the heir to Baumeister Confections adds intrigue.
Of course, the heart of a Chocolatier game is chocolate, and that's a huge part of its appeal. Chocolate-making is a mini-game that requires shooting ingredients into an assembly line. The recipes themselves often sound tempting (perhaps it's a good thing that they don't give real-life instructions). And the quest for secret ingredients--such as those fire ants--requires business savvy as well as large sums of money and long trips to remote areas. All in all, Chocolatier 2: Secret Ingredients is as addictive as the food of the gods.
Note: This link takes you to the vendor's site, where you must register to download the the software. The demo runs for one hour of game time; to play further, you must buy the game.
--Laura Blackwell
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