There’s a craze on certain TV channels that allows us to witness the good and bad of the bakery business. From Championship cook-offs to mild and calm cooking shows, the pastry and confection crowds have plenty of options. Following the somewhat cult-like success of the original Cake Mania, Sandlot Games offers up a slice of more simulated baking chaos with Cake Mania 2.

Similar to Theme Park type simulations, this allows you to run your own business — though only the one store and its customers (versus a whole park full of patrons and issues). It's a niche genre called “Resource Management," which is a fancy term for “running your own business.” Your wildly diverse customer base will keep you, Jill, on your toes as you receive orders, create the confection(s) and hand over the goodies. Balancing the onslaught of quirky cake orders, you have to keep with the times and demands by upgrading when time allows. Whether it’s equipment or work areas, there’s always something to do — if you want to grow and thrive in your bakery.

In an attempt to provide more diversity from the first game, they have added some “story” to it in which you must assist with their bakery. You can help your old college roommate Risha with her city location, or lend a hand to your ex-love interest, Jack, who thought it would be a great idea to create a shop in an undersea baking venture.

The customers are clever and abnormal in a fun way. There are shady Men-in-Black types, along with high-maintenance Diva ladies with a mix of bratty kids thrown in — just to add to the stress. As they shuffle in, they place their orders using provided menus. You take their order and begin the process of creating their request — down to the last candle. Baking, icing, etc… all done in your own assembly line. That is where buying upgrades help you grow. Getting better work stations and supplies enables you to handle the growing swarms. Also, in the distant future, the ability to have more shops is an option. Didn’t think decorating was such a thriving business? Just watch the Food Network! Add up your day’s earnings and as long as you hit your goals, you keep yourself in the dough.

The sounds in the game are not too special. The music is eclectic and sometimes reminiscent of a cell-phone ring tone. In the underwater shop, you’ll hear aquatic noises like bubbles and sonar (unless that was my imagination). Guess what kind of sounds you hear in the busy city location?

The visuals are very cartoonish, which is not a bad thing. Jill is a bubbly little minx that looks like she would have ridden in on a My Little Pony doll. Her customers are unique and well designed, though (still) very surreal. It’s a fun-looking place to be. Even when the place is sheer chaos (which was often with me playing it), it looked friendly enough to fit into Smurf Island. Such exaggerated graphics are handy when working with the decorations. As you build on to what you have, it may get cluttered, but the style allows function to remain intact.

The game is not very different from the original Cake Mania. They added some back story with her grandparents taking off for a vacation, and the need to help your friend, but the gameplay is not much different. It feels like an add-on pack more than an original game. That’s Ok, as the first one was quite popular and a cult hit online. It’s a pleasant distraction game, but nothing that makes you stay up all night obsessing about it — as you would after playing four hours of Halo 3! It delivers what it promises; some light fun with challenge and diversity without breaking the bank. Although playable online for free, you will not get the full experience and features unless you upgrade and purchase the full game. That will open many rewarding options for you to enjoy, and lengthen the game and depth in which you can take this confectionary challenge.

Gameplay: 7.0
There’s a handy tutorial once you begin a new game. In the absence of a printed manual, that’s a great way to get started. It starts with the basics of baking a cake to more complex factors in running the business. Your early monetary goals are also low enough to meet without too much pain. The game itself, however, can take off and get out of hand quickly once you really get going. It will test your planning, coordination and ability to multitask.  

Graphics: 6.5 
It’s not very visually stunning, but the cartoonish look is pleasant and easy to process. The focus is on gameplay. So having minimal graphical challenges is a plus. I don’t want an ocular headache when trying to differentiate between a candle and a wedding topper.     

Sound: 6.5
The music is almost too soothing, though there is a little bit of variance. It fits the game. Likewise, the other sounds tie-in with what setting you are playing. Underwater or other locations — each have their own environmental sounds.

Difficulty: Medium
The beauty of management games like this is that you have some range and flexibility to make it easier or harder — based on your preference of play. There is an option to play in a mode that does nothing but push your abilities to continue without limits. It becomes an avalanche of endless cake making — and very challenging as you juggle all that such play entails. Some of the cake orders can get very complex when factoring in different colors on each layer, and the topper that might be used. All of that is juxtaposed against the “clock” of new customers flowing in.

Concept: 5.5 
If you have not played the original, or any similar titles that have been flooding the market for years, this will appear as a new and fun challenge for many age ranges. However, it is too close to the original to score any points for Concept. The story at the beginning unfolds like a comic strip, and then the game starts. Aside from that short detour, it is very much like its predecessor.      

Overall: 7.0
I like the pace and challenge the game offers once you settle in to how things operate and how long certain things take. Once you get into that “groove,” you can focus on efficiency and buying wise upgrades as you grow. If you don’t keep that tip jar green, you won’t be in the black. It’s a great lesson for younger players on how to run a business without “player trading” and ugly factors you see in other simulations. People that enjoy baking will get some fun from creating cakes and filling complex orders at a rapid pace. The rewards are growth, which reflects real-life situations. They kept it simple and maybe that’s not such a good thing. If they expand into a third Cake Mania, maybe they will add some new challenges that can hit businesses, yet still allow it to be fun and entertaining. Yes, you can go online to many sites and play a shorter version for free, but the world is not limited, so neither should your business. If you really want to test your baking meddle, go for the full version and expand your challenges beyond the freebie universe. The extra you get is just more icing on the cake.