Gordon Ramsey’s TV show challenge on your Mac

If you’ve ever seen Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen on TV then you’ll know that he doesn’t mince his words like he minces his mince…erm, what I mean is that he says what he thinks in the kitchen.

If you’ve ever dreamed of being verbally abused by Ramsay’s foul mouth but haven’t made it onto his cooking-swearathon TV show, here’s your chance. Hell’s Kitchen is basically Ramsay’s TV show in game format and whatever you think about the man or show itself, this is a pretty nice game. You have to progress through the ranks of chef through a series of increasingly challenging dishes, all the while with Ramsay stood in the top left hand corner of your screen, scowling at you like he’s going to beat you up any second.

The good news (or bad news depending on how you see it) is that Ramsay doesn’t swear at you. In fact, he doesn’t say a great deal during the game until the end of the levels when he either congratulates or verbally abuses you. The game is beautifully presented, starting off in the restaurant where your customers arrive. You then have to take their order and then switch to the kitchen. Fortunately, you don’t have to remember all the ingredients of the delicious dishes (the recipes for which you can print out) as it’s all ready for you. The key is to balance juggling several tasks at once.

Hell’s Kitchen looks great and features some delicious recipes. However, the appeal over several levels is to be questioned since it mainly relies on coordination rather that culinary skills so those looking for a genuine cooking experience may be disappointed.