Poor Elena! All she wants to do is fall in love and live happily ever after with her Prince Charming. If only her family wouldn’t keep getting in the way. Elena has to spend her days running all over Little Italy in order to solve her family’s never-ending problems, and she still has to try and find time to woo the tall, dark and handsome, Elio. Mamma Mia! This fun Italian-themed game will put you in the mood for some classic Italian food, and what could be better than spaghetti and meatballs? Today I’m giving you a look at Frima Studio’s Ciao Bella and a delicious Italian feast.

Your delightful Game:

It doesn’t seem like so much to ask to simply want to meet a young man (especially a hunky Italian one) and fall madly in love, right? Well for Elena, a young Italian woman, this is easier said than done. It seems like everyone around you has problems that they just can’t fix without your help, and being the helpful girl that you are, you want to find solutions to everything before you think about yourself.

First, there’s Elio, the son of your family’s friend Teresa, who wants nothing more than for you to marry him so that she can have a brood of grandchildren. Since Elio, who has been living in Toronto, will be in town for one evening, Teresa decides to set up an “accidental” meeting between Elena and Elio at her restaurant Saturday night. Sounds easy enough, right?

But before you can make it to your various meetings with Elio, like a romantic dinner or a roller-skating date, you have to help your sister’s oblivious fiancée who can’t figure out why she doesn’t like the MasterWrench he bought her as an engagement present, or your Uncle Nunzio who needs you to fix his business deals. You have to run all over Little Italy, from the mall for shopping or pampering to the city hall for building permits to the gym for a bit of exercise.

Not only do you have to solve the world’s problems but you have to be certain to keep an eye on your own needs – you have to watch your health, harmony, culture, family and work levels. You can eat or sleep to build up your health or you can read for culture and harmony points. Watching television raises your culture bar, cleaning makes your family happy and putting on make-up improves harmony.

This game is a bit tricky though. Trying to finish all your tasks, keep all your stat bars up and still get to your dates with Elio is a lot to keep track of. You have a handy PDA-like item to remind you of the deadlines for all of your tasks, and you have to keep an eye on the clock, which unfortunately is in military time, so it always took me a moment to figure it out.

Working, which you need to do in order to earn money to buy things like a pearl necklace to help your future brother-in-law win back your sister, a new dress for your weekend date, or a bribe for an unwilling property-seller, is surprisingly time-consuming. You can work as either an accountant at your uncle’s business or as a waitress in your family’s café, and both always took more time than I expected, often causing me to miss one of my dates or appointments.

The graphics are colorful and the game is fun, albeit a bit challenging. After all of your running around for everyone else – which is satisfying, sure – it’s good to know that the grand prize is a date with dreamy Elio.

Your tasty Dinner:

All of the music in Ciao Bella kept reminding me of the dinner scene in “The Lady and The Tramp,” so what better meal to accompany our game today than spaghetti and meatballs. It does require some prep time, but believe me, it’s worth it. This classic comfort food will definitely make you feel a little better about failing your relatives repeatedly or missing a hot date with Elio. This recipe is simple and delicious and will put you right in the Italian spirit. Who needs that Elio – this is amore!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

You’ll need:

- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs (If you don’t have bread crumbs, you can toast two pieces of bread and crumble them up)
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped (If you don’t have fresh basil, you can use ¼ tsp of dried basil)
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Spaghetti
- Pasta sauce

1. Make your pasta of choice (I suggest spaghetti), heat a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce in a separate pot, and heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, combine all remaining ingredients in a big bowl.
3. Use your hands to mush everything together and form into balls, about 1 in. in diameter.
4. Place meatballs into pan and cook until browned.
5. Once meatballs are browned, place in the pot of spaghetti sauce and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes
6. Serve over pasta, and don’t forget the parmesan cheese!