Diner Game Reviews, Family Game Reviews, Game Reviews > Nanny Mania Review by Meryl

Nanny Mania Review by Meryl

Having a nanny would be nice in terms of getting help to chauffeur my kids, help when I’m run down and make meals. The nanny in Nanny Mania does it all except the chauffeuring. Then again, the family’s head of household is the Mayor of Suburbia, so he probably has a chauffeur too.

The game takes a different approach than the games of the diner games game genre. Here you’re not running a business, but instead working to keep the house clean and the family happy. Nanny Mania also feels like a Sims game in that you watch the family live their lives within the walls of their home.

I wish cleaning could be as easy in real life as it is in the game. Click the item once and it’s clean. When furniture or a fish tank needs cleaning, they appear highlighted in yellow. Click once and nanny’s arms flail around for a few seconds and poof the item is clean. Some tasks take more than one click such as changing the baby’s diaper, giving the baby a bottle and cooking a meal.

The game begins with the parents and one baby. Easy peasy. Each level contains five games. When you complete a level, the parents have another child and the younger ones get older. The most the nanny handles is four children. After that, the only thing that changes is the age of the kids, the messes they make and the frequency of the messes. Eventually, you won’t have to deal with dirty diapers or warming bottles.

I thought the game would change once all four kids arrived. It doesn’t and the game turns monotonous in little time. I feel like I start every level doing the same steps with small variations. Soon, I dislike Dad because he goes off to work or plays golf leaving Mom alone to eat with the four kids.

In no time, I figure out the family’s routine. When Dad returns from anything, I expect muddy footprints and a messy dresser. Sometimes I follow him into his bedroom where he changes his clothes and messes the dresser so I can fix the dresser. He doesn’t seem to mind the nanny watching him change. Mom also doesn’t care if I walk right through the bathroom while she bathes.

I see Mom enter the baby’s nursery and change the diaper, yet the game tells me to change the baby’s diaper within minutes. People, I have three kids and I know a baby doesn’t need changing that often. Just Mommy logic.

A Mac user playing the game became frustrated when he clicked ahead and struggled to undo some moves when something unexpected happened like mealtime. Mac users don’t have two mouse buttons on their notebooks — I am an unlucky gal who doesn’t own a Mac, but I imagine the Mac has an option for undo. For PC users, undo actions by pressing the right-mouse button.

The game may attract the younger set as repetition helps them improve game play. But for me, I play enough so I can write this review. I have no desire to play Nanny Mania. The game’s strengths are the graphics and speed (some games have subtle pauses or take too long to make something happen). I believe Nanny Mania could have greater success if it would introduce more elements to offer more variety.

System Requirements: Windows