It might surprise you to know that, once a month, the big shots here at Pocket Gamer take the site's willing posse of subservients out for a day of pampering.
We all get our hair and nails done and generally have a good natter, and if we happen across a receptionist who can type more than one word a minute we pick up a new staff writer or two along the way.
A trip to Hollywood Beauty Center's chain of salons, however, would not go down well on our special bonding days. Here, customers are treated like commodities: ushered in, fixed up quick, and kicked back out again with a focus on pace rather than pleasure.
Time after time
That's because, just like almost 7 billion titles on mobile by now, this is an attempt at time-management, opting for a salon setting rather than a diner.
It's certainly not a natural fit. For starters, the layout of the level requires much more movement than in rival titles. Rather than simply darting from stop to stop, you have to escort customers to various points around the salon depending on what they're after.
To begin with, all such actions are simple – most visitors wanting a cut or colour before leaving again. Many such actions require nothing more than a tap of the '5' key to set them off.
However, others play out as mini-games – the hair cuts themselves, or applying make up a question of memory. The game flashes up a distinct look and it's your job to match it with the various components on offer – fringe length and style, accessories, lipstick colour, etc.
Out of fashion
Most are fairly straightforward. Problems arise, however, when celebrities enter and require very specific treatments and looks.
Fudge even the most minute of details and the star will simply up and leave, taking their money with them.
Losing just one of these cash cows can be the difference between reaching the stage's target and not, but Hollywood Beauty Center doesn't actually let you know that you're on course for a fail until the level is over.
This leads to painful restarts aplenty and, given that the game isn't especially compelling in the first place, Hollywood Beauty Center is far less attractive than it needs to be.
Hollywood Beauty Center
An especially tired crack at the time-management genre, Hollywood Beauty Center's salon setting adds nothing of note and even makes the whole process more labourious
Keith Andrew
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font. He's also Pocket Gamer's resident football gaming expert and, thanks to his work on PG.biz, monitors the market share of all mobile OSes on a daily basis.