Have fun as a planner in 'Wedding Dash'

— -- Fans of the hit game series, Diner Dash, have been anxiously waiting to swap brooms for grooms in PlayFirst's first official offshoot game, Wedding Dash.

Available now for Windows and Mac-based computers, this downloadable "casual" game does not deviate far from what made its predecessors so popular but offers many challenging scenarios and laugh-out-loud moments.

Gamers play as Quinn, a bridesmaid who reluctantly takes on the role of a wedding planner for a hapless friend, but soon realizes she's good at the job and decides to make a career out of it.

Instead of taking care of restaurant customers in Diner Dash, you must now pamper guests at a wedding reception, including seating them where they want (or don't want), serving them food (appetizers, entrees and cake), bringing song requests to the DJ and taking care of "incidents" such as breaking up a catfight between two bridesmaids, putting out a fire in the kitchen, handling inebriated guests and bringing tissues to Aunt Ethel who can't stop bawling.

Quinn better have things under control or else the bride turns into a fire-breathing Bridezilla.

Keep everyone happy and you'll make some cash and then get hired to take care of additional weddings, including one in a ballroom, on a cruise ship, in a castle and on an island. Fans of Diner Dash will enjoy the cameos by Flo, the ponytailed restaurateur who comes to Quinn's aid on occasion.

If you make at least the minimum amount of money at the end of each function, you advance to the next level and get to choose from some upgrades such as a larger table for your guests or more gratifying food and drinks.

Before each new wedding, a kind of minigame has you read a blurb about what the happy couple likes and dislikes and you must click off the correct item from three options. These include the kind of food they like, where they'd like to go on a honeymoon, the kind of wedding cake they'd prefer, and so on. Choose well and you'll earn extra cash.

Another way to ensure you're making as much money as possible is to chain tasks together, which will be familiar to Diner Dash players. This means Quinn will receive bonus points for carrying two appetizers instead of one or, say, bringing two gifts to the bride and groom.

Along with the main Career mode is a secondary game type called "Endless Reception," where Quinn must manage a never-ending stream of guests.

Wedding Dash is everything you'd expect from a PlayFirst micromanagement simulation — and it might feel like deja vu to Diner Dash players — so be aware these two games are fairly similar. Another minor beef: As with most casual games, you can try-before-they-buy, but Wedding Dash only offers 30 minutes instead of the usual 60-minute free trial period.

But the humorous moments that take place at the wild wedding receptions ensure the laughs last as long as your mouse-clicking finger.

Contact Saltzman at gnstech@gns.gannett.com.