Diner Dash

It's been almost a decade since Diner Dash first made its appearance (and made a sizable splash) in the video game world. And here we are, going on ten years later, with a new iteration for mobile devices.

In many ways it's the same old game of manically trying to keep a bunch of unruly customers happy. In other ways, it's another freemium disappointment.

Diner Dash is made up of several levels spread across three different restaurants (with more planned for the future, of course). Each level has a different layout, with some offering a bunch of 4-eater booths and others built for groups of two.

New types of diners are also introduced at a fairly steady pace, and each has its own particular behaviors to consider.

When a group of diners enters, you can match their clothing color with the color of your seats for a special bonus.

Then you'll be scrambling all over the place handing out menus to people, giving coffee to those who are waiting to order, running tickets over the the kitchen, and generally keeping the diner ticking over..

You can buy a number of appliances to make things easier for you (such as a coffee machine that produces more than a single cup at a time), and you'll eventually unlock Boosts that will give you various advantages like super-speed, or a giant slingshot that the cook can use to fling dishes to the appropriate tables.

Which is fortunate, because some levels all but require the use of these Boosts. Less fortunately, using a Boost also costs premium currency.

It's a relatively understandable approach in a free-to-play game, but it's Diner Dash's energy system that's the real problem. Every attempt at a level costs one energy, and you have a very small amount available.

So after playing a few levels, all you can really do is sit and wait. Or use more premium currency to refill your tank, so to speak.

The core of Diner Dash is actually pretty fun (in a stressful way), but the game doesn't really let you play for very long. Not before trying to eke out a few dollars anyway.