So-called casual games like "Wedding Dash" can be very deceptive. Though laughably easy at first, this taskmaster's worst nightmare quickly becomes a dizzying job of wedding reception management.
The bride and groom are the least of your worries — keeping your guests happy in this new $19.99 PC title from PlayFirst is akin to juggling armfuls of fine china.
"Wedding Dash" is in many ways a spiritual successor to another PlayFirst game, "Diner Dash."
This new game goes way beyond simply serving diners their meals, with mixed results.
The star of "Wedding Dash" is wedding planner Quinn, but you don't really interact with her much and she's hardly used in the actual game.
You start out each level by reading the preferences of the bride and groom and then picking an appropriate flower arrangement, meal and location.
It's not even a challenge, as long as you know how to read.
From there, you start seating guests, delivering their gifts to the marrying couple and keeping everyone fed.
Occasionally, you'll have to direct Quinn to comfort an emotionally overwrought aunt or to extinguish a tiff between bridesmaids, but really her role only serves as a distraction to the main game.
That would be the poor server, who'll you'll be clicking around in a frenzy as she brings new armfuls of food and drops off the gifts. (Fortunately, the dirty dishes magically disappear).
At the same time, seating guests becomes increasingly tactical. Some visitors have very specific people they either do or don't want to sit next to, making time management the key element to success.
Just how long you can maintain this frenzied ballet is something that'll keep you busy for hours if you let it.
Don't be deceived at the initial simplicity. By the time you reach the game's final levels (there are 50 in all) it's a very tough experience.
As you advance, you can get enhancements like a faster server and a bigger buffet table, but the upgrades aren't nearly as important as paying attention.
The action plays out in cartoonish-looking graphics that suit the game's lighthearted nature.
It's titles like "Wedding Dash" that make me want to say "I do" to more casual games.
Three stars out of four.
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