BarSim

Editors' ReviewDownload.com staffMay 5, 2004This hefty simulation program helps users practice their bartending skills, but it's light on assistance. BarSim's interactive interface is designed to look like a real bar, with liquor cabinets, a glass rack, recipes, and ticket windows. It gives you all the tools and ingredients you'll need to prepare drinks. Once in the bar area, your drink knowledge is tested as you'll have to prepare drinks listed in the ticket window. If you don't know the recipe, you can click on the recipe window, but it will cost you some points.Though BarSim is easy enough to understand, a tutorial on the different elements of the bar would have lessened the learning curve, especially for bartending novices. It provides three difficulty levels and 150 drinks to choose from. It also has a recipe editor that allows you to create, modify, and print drink recipes. The graphics and sounds are acceptable by today's standards. BarSim only permits a three-day trial period, which is stingy for our tastes, and bartending tips, trivia, and lessons are not available during the trial. The 25MB file size isn't great either. Despite those issues, bartenders of all skill levels will say "Cheers" to this fun, challenging drink simulation game.