New 'Burger Time' serves up a good time

— -- Who could forget Burger Time, that deliciously addictive '80s arcade game that challenged you to build hamburgers and avoid running into nasty toppings?

Hope you brought your appetite, because Namco Networks has resurrected this classic in Burger Time Deluxe, a downloadable PC game with new game-play elements, better graphics, bigger levels and minigames. It's not a perfect treat, but a tasty update nonetheless.

If case you've never played the original, you must navigate around various platforms, connected by ladders, and assemble hamburgers in order to clear the levels. You do this by walking over the parts of the burger — such as the bun, tomato, lettuce and cheese — so that it falls down to the lower platform, eventually making it onto a tray in the correct sandwich order. Sounds easy, sure, but keep in mind that you've got to deal with nasty foods that want to harm you — so you must keep away from them or use your limited pepper spray to stun them. Better yet, trap these ingredients onto one of the burger's layers and they'll fall down and become part of the lunch for extra points.

Burger Time Deluxe offers both a Quick Play mode and a Story mode. The latter, which includes a tutorial, lets you play as either Peter Pepper or Sally Salt. At the start of the game your uncle will tell you about the mean Vinnie Vinegar, a rival restaurateur, who wants to put your family's popular hamburger hut out of business. Vinnie's henchmen — which include a pickle, fried egg and hot dog — are dispatched to disrupt your progress.

As you roam around the platforms to assemble each burger, you'll encounter many of these foes, each of which have their own unique skills. The ham, for example, can speed up quickly when it's near you; the carrot can drill down a platform (without requiring a ladder); and the onion cries and leaves a white plume that can kill you.

Clever power-ups can help you in this remake, including hot sauce that temporarily sets foes aflame and an energy drink that makes you run faster. Some items, however, simply give you extra points, such as the teacup, fries, ice cream and spatula.