Diner Dash 2

These time management games are becoming essential on the mobile platforms, as they lift the usual dexterity and puzzle genres into a far more accessible format through their clever use of real life situations.

The trouble comes when real life gets a little complicated, and running a salon, or a sushi bar, or a particle accelerator begins to detract from the essential, quick-fingered gameplay.

Fortunately, the original and the best, Diner Dash, had a simple and recognisable premise of running a cafe as efficiently and profitably as possible, and that’s something most of us can easily relate to.

Flo, the dashing diner manager, has now made her way onto the Android Market in an adaptation of the sequel, which is pretty much the same as the original. So it’s no big deal that Google’s platform is skipping a generation in the Diner Dash canon.

There's a selection of different restaurants that Flo must manage - all on her own - which basically translate into difficulty levels, but also provide a welcome change of scenery as the game progresses. Your task is to guide Flo around that busy cafe floor, looking after the customers and keeping the cash register full.

The first job is to seat the customers and, if it’s a family, furnish them with a high chair to make the baby more comfortable and therefore quieter.

They’ll take a few moments to peruse the menu, then you need to dash over to their table, take the order, pass the order to the kitchen, deliver the food (and maybe a drink in between), mop up any spills, fetch a desert where required, grab their cash, clear the table, and then seat the next punters in the queue.

That might sound a tad complex, but it’s a routine that’s followed - in order - very often, and it really isn’t difficult to master. The tricky bit is in juggling this schedule between six different tables without leaving any diners waiting too long and getting them all narked.

Bonus points are awarded for performing two tasks at any one time. For instance, since Flo has two hands, she can carry two plates, so picking them both up from the counter at once and going straight to the tables is more efficient, especially if you take another order or clear a table on your way around the restaurant. This is the real trick to completing the levels and mastering the management situation.

Graphically, the Android adaptation performs well, though it appears to take a few shortcuts. The queue of customers has been replaced by a simple, unimaginative icon, which no longer uses a ‘drag and drop’ mechanic to put bums on seats, but rather a double tap method.

This causes some serious aggravation when you tap a waiting customer, sometimes by accident, and the game grinds to a halt because you’ve tried to direct Flo about the room before seating them.

Couple this with the ineffectually small icons used for the various elements - such as the order roster, and mop and high chair that are too close together - and the game begins to feel very clumsy.

Diner Dash 2 is a fast moving title, and despite the Android system sometimes struggling to keep up with all your commands, this is a major part of its appeal, so annoying pixel hunting does it no favours at all.

It’s still a great game, as it’s a faithful port - but like so many Android games, what Diner Dash 2 really needs is a faithful adaptation rather than a port. It’s a subtle difference, but an important one.