Hollywood Hotel

If there's a surefire way of getting a menial task done with more of a spring in your step, it's by livening it up. Mary Poppins had it right, you know - even cleaning can be a ball if you whistle a happy tune while you're at it. Well, maybe not, but the concept of adding a bit of personality to a routine to soften its blow is a well versed one, and it's an ethic well employed by Hollywood Hotel.

This is a bubblegum-wrapped slice of strategy that dresses up puzzle- solving and decision-making in the kind of glitz and glamour you might expect to see in a cheesy American soap opera. It's a surprisingly good mix, and one that will no doubt entice a sizable audience that have never encountered a strategy title before, but it's not a trick that Studio X hasn't pulled before. Anyone who has sampled Hollywood Hospital will feel at home here from the start, because this takes the same foundations and simply adds a twist or two on top.

The most similar aspect is the way that both games focus on the importance of matching people up with things they like. In Hollywood Hospital, that was reflected in the need to pair off doctors and nurses with similar interests, but here much weight is placed on decorating the rooms of your hotel to suit the people who are set to be staying in them. Doing so is a matter of accumulating credits throughout play, unlocking new furnishings that can be applied instantly via the hotel's computer. This, in itself, is a matter of matching perfect combinations - the aim being to match wallpaper with whatever flooring you plump for, with the game rating each choice from 'ugly' to 'perfect'.

That's only one facet of life at Hollywood Hotel, however - a great deal of play is spent doing what are essentially chores. Each character you play as comes with its own set of responsibilities, whether it's working in the kitchen or dealing with the front of house. But, given the game's soap-like nature, there are also several other issues to deal with; personal problems play a big part, ranging from relationship issues to halting a leak of sensitive photos depicting the hotel owner in a compromising position with a certain presidential candidate.

As you can tell, life is never dull at the Hollywood Hotel, and much like the game's sister hospital-themed title, it's the workers here that steal the show, rather than any famous guests. The characters themselves are something of a mix - though the hotel is run by a woman named London, there is a distinct sense of misogyny that taints the game's script, with women being lumped into one of three groups; power hungry, insensitive ice queens, emotional sponges, and sex objects.

In some of the early exchanges, where you play as concierge Don, some of the lurid dialogue associated with him doesn't sit very comfortably with the rest of the game. Especially when Hollywood Hotel attempts to appeal to gamers of both genders, with the inclusion of an interests 'mini-game' no doubt a move to appeal to those of a female persuasion.

Essentially, all characters have gossip on their co-workers that you can tap them for at any point - their favourite cars, sport or TV show. You can then test your friendship with that person (and, indeed, sometimes it's a requirement) to see whether you remember each character's particular nuances, with a rating prescribed at the end, Facebook style.

For many, this will seem rather childish and there is a sense that Hollywood Hotel has been intentionally moulded to appeal to a young audience, perhaps isolating the rest of us from its pull - despite the fact that it provides a stiffer challenge than you might initially think. Make no mistake, this is a superficial package that isn't likely to keep your attention much beyond your first play-through, but one thing you're assured of is that you'll never be bored during your stay. Perhaps a little more motel than hotel then, but it's just as enjoyable either way.