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Chocolatier 2: Secret Ingredients PC Game Review
A family feud again takes center stage in the story mode as the Baumeisters return dealing with a mole in the business. Chocolatier 2 takes place 40 years later after the original, and the scenery reflects the styles of the 1920s and 1930s. Even buildings that don’t exist in 1920 like the Empire State Building will crop up in cities in later years.
The game, like its predecessor, beautifully presents every ingredient and finished product based on 72 recipes. Well, one ingredient might not sound pleasing to many, but it’s a delicacy in some places — fire ants. Bars, squares, infusions and truffles all return into the recipe book along with sauces, pralines, and exotics.
This time, we get to create our own recipes using secret ingredients from hidden ports around the world. However, it requires raising enough funds before purchasing a chocolate tasting lab in Buenos Aires. People we meet along the way provide clues and ideas for new recipes, but experimentation is also necessary. Pick a handful of potential ingredients, and the researcher extraordinaire will let you know what works and what doesn’t work — much in the same way Mastermind.
Chocolatier 2 comes with over 200 quests, 20 cities including Bombay, Cayenne, Paris, and Moscow, 6 factories and 4 shops. The secret ingredients hide in the new hidden ports, which take longer to access and cost a pretty cacao.
Instead of spinning circles, which make me dizzy, the circles don’t spin and instead flow differently on the product line. Sometimes another circle blocks the circle you want. The arcade portion now includes bonuses turning this into a fun game — something it wasn’t in the original.
The most disappointing part of the game is logo design. The game contains a limited choice of images and some of the colors are awful. I know the creators were trying to capture the art deco style of the ’20s, but I actually love art deco and this isn’t pretty. Some of the images are of terrible quality — like someone stretched a small image. It’s surprising considering the rest of the game has beautiful designs and images.
The basics of the game includes buying ingredients, manufacturing new ingredients, making new products, selling chocolates, buying factories and stores, and traveling the world. I love how the traveling varies based on location. Players could take a train, ship, hike, or a canoe.
Of course, we continue to use the finest ingredients, so lots of traveling is necessary. But this time we need to watch the seasons since some ingredients cost thousands of dollars off-season, and drop into the more affordable hundreds of dollars when they’re in season.
Some cities don’t have a store for selling chocolates, so it’s important to think ahead to ensure you have enough funds to get you through a trip. Also returning for an encore are gambling hot spots. I don’t play these games, but they’re there for desperate times or those who enjoy dice games.
Another improvement is the message section. This time, it only displays one big task at a time. I don’t mind seeing multiple tasks, but the message screen was too small in the original.
I’m all for a third edition of the game if it’s done right or expand it by changing the industry or products. Chocolatier 2 is addicting as chocolate that I stayed up late several times unable to pull myself away.
System Requirements
Windows:
- Windows Vista, XP, 2000
- Pentium III 700 MHz minimum
- 128 MB RAM
- 800 x 600 minimum screen resolution
- Sound card recommended
- DirectX 7.0 or later
- 25 MB hard drive space
Mac:
- Mac OS X 10.3.9 or newer
- G4 800 MHz or faster processor
- 800 x 600 minimum screen resolution
- Sound card recommended
- 25 MB hard drive space
