Being a casual gamer in this day and age probably never felt so good, with the emergence of medical and judicial genres becoming the latest and greatest attraction, it was only a matter of time when somebody had the idea of turning gamers into chefs.

Though it's been on multiple platforms and may seem a bit unwieldy, Cooking Mama: Cook Off for the Nintendo Wii is still worth talking about, especially since both traditional and casual gamers seem to have fallen in love with it. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this one, given the fact I stink in the kitchen and I'm more likely to set off fire alarms than win any culinary contests!

Just like the original DS game (if you’ve played it), you'll have a chance to pick a dish and create the meal step-by-step through a series of exaggerated mini-games. Whether your whipping eggs in a bowl or chopping vegetables, you’ll be timed and graded on how well and how fast you complete each step. This does keep the game fresh by adding a bit of urgency to the cooking scheme, but the game is never too difficult or frustrating that newer gamers should feel excluded. There's even a fairly addictive 2-player mode that helps spread the fun a little bit, giving Cooking Mama quite a bit of replay value for the budget price.

The game itself is something new, relying entirely on the new control scheme the Wii provides and it's here the game mostly delivers. Since you’ll need the Wii-mote for every step of the cooking process, it's a good thing the remote does a good job of emulating the various utensils and actions of actually preparing dishes. But sometimes the setup isn’t as responsive as you’d like, and the lack of 1:1 interaction can make or break a good cooking grade. Chalk it up to either new technology or just unfamiliarity with the console, but I'm sure that we'll see some buttoning up in the next version. Even with the issues, most actions are quick and simple to execute and with good practice it’ll take time to master the art of the chef.

Although they're not going to convince you to rush out and buy an HDTV, the graphics get the job done, with the game having a visual style all its own. Colorful, cell-shaded graphics are entirely appropriate for this style of game and shouldn't offend anyone. The visual depictions of both the food and cooking utensils are easy identifiable and shouldn't confuse even the greenest of cooks. The colors really do pop off the screen, and I couldn't help feeling that people who've been turned off by games in the past should feel very welcome here.

The music is typically upbeat and sometimes catchy, which helps compliment the various cooking-related sound effects. Voice-overs are from the Cooking Mama herself, with her words of encouragement or disappointment of a failed dish helping make this a really wholesome and inviting package. Her distinct Japanese-accent is quite soothing, even with the slight mishaps and mispronounced English every so often.

After spending some time with Cooking Mama: Cook Off, it’s evident that the controls aren’t as fluid as I would’ve liked and do need some moderate improvement to really take advantage of motion control, and since it’s your only primary tool you’ll notice the faults. Regardless of some minor control issues, this remains a solid and fun title, and should continue to attract a considerable amount of attention from casual gamers...and maybe a hardcore one or two. It's a niche game that has instant appeal to almost anyone willing to give it a try, and shouldn't have any trouble keeping your attention. Admittedly the game is short and will leave you wanting more, but like any tasty dish that's what second helpings are for!