A fresh twist one of my favorite video game series.

User Rating: 9.5 | Gardening Mama DS
Cooking Mama has been one of my favorites game series since Cook Off was released for the Wii. I love all 4 Cooking Mamas for their campy quirks and delightful gameplay. As it turns out, the best game staring Mama takes place outside of the kitchen...

Gardening Mama bursts at the seams with all of wonderful antics and gameplay you'd expect, but is also full of pleasant surprises. Each plant or crop requires constant upkeep until harvest or until the plant simply dies of old age. Unlockables and extras are as bountiful as the flowers and produce you'll be cultivating.

While the spatula and frying pan have been replaced with a trowel and shovel, the gameplay formula hasn't changed much, and the controll mechanics are based on those from Dinner With Friends. Each of the steps you take follow a familiar format, but each individual game will require practice.

The game's greatest strength is the surprisingly high level of addictiveness and replay value, not to mention the sheer variety of plants available.

Frankly, gardening has never been better.