Personal Trainer Cooking by Nintendo DS--A Video Game Even Granny Will Love

Personal Trainer:
Cooking

Personal Trainer: Cooking brings gourmet cooking from around the globe to your Nintendo DS Lite console. It features a DS Chef, your own private cooking instructor who talks you through 245+ recipes from over 30 countries worldwide. It's a combination of interactive cookbook and live cooking demonstration that'll have you cooking like a pro, even if you've never lifted a ladle before.

With so many recipes, you can find something new and tasty to make no matter what you're in the mood for. You can search a map by country to find regional dishes or select options for low-calorie foods, specific ingredients or short cooking times.

Each recipe contains step-by-step directions and photos to make it possible to prepare dishes you've never tried before. Use the stylus or simple voice commands to "turn the page."

Hands covered in batter? Keep your DS clean using voice commands to continue to the next page, repeat a step, go back, and more. A tap of the touch screen lets you adjust the serving size automatically, and users can write and save cooking notes, just as they would in a paper recipe book. Recipes include photos of the dish as well as instructional videos on how to perform different cooking techniques, such as how to chop an onion or clean a fish.

Users can access a handy reference function to explain unfamiliar terms and cooking techniques when they appear. The software includes a timer and calculator, as well as a search function to help you find what you're looking for. Cooking Guide also includes an ingredient checklist to use as a shopping list. Just put a ? mark next to the items you need and bring your Nintendo DS to the grocery store.

You and the Chef will collaborate on a wide variety of recipes, with videos of techniques, explanations of ingredients, and expert advice. With its innovative interface and the interactivity that only the DS can provide, it's a perfect learning tool for the budding chef.

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When making one of the nearly 250 recipes included, you'll get a step-by-step walkthrough. It's easy to go through the entire recipe before you start to see what you'll be doing, but it's certaily not neccessary. The ingredients and kitchenware you'll need are listed for you when you bring up the recipe. Just lay out the DS on the counter where you can see both screens and if you need to go back and repeat instructions to any step or go ahead to the next step at any time you can do so with a voice command or using the touch screen. As mentioned, short videos are available to show you many of the required culinary skills. You can bring up the appropriate video for a step (when applicable) with voice command or touchscreen as well.

If you are a seasoned, worldly chef, you'll likely find the production values to be overkill and many recipes too basic. Yet the average home cook will likely find the perfect introduction to at least a few dozen unfamiliar dishes. For the young or inexperienced cook, this game is a cheaper and better pimer than practically any cookbook. -- J. Finkel, Hoboken, New Jersey