Flo's at it again, but this time she's taken her food operation to the streets in Diner Dash 5 - Boom! PlayFirst's most recent endeavor into the popular time management game series relies largely on the same concepts that have made the previous games so popular, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The old axiom of "if it's not broken, don't try to fix it" certainly applies here, but how fresh does the newest experience feel?

The cornerstone of Diner Dash has always been time management. As Flo, an entrepreneur in the food services, you seat, serve and clean up after different types of customers. At the close of business, you see how much money you earned based on your quickness and a number of other factors including how happy the customer is you're your service and matching the color customers are wearing to the color of the seat at the table for bonus points. Depending on your point total, you get a rank of pass, fail or expert. The cash you earn can be used to upgrade the tables, cooking stand and other aspects of the diner to make your serving experience a little smoother.

In past exploits, most of Flo's customers have come to see her in her splendid diner that gets upgraded as you go, but in Diner Dash 5, Flo is forced to take her business to the outdoor locations of the city while her diner gets fixed up. Players will start on the street and continue on to locations like the circus and the park in order to gain enough cash to get Flo's diner rebuilt. As always, PlayFirst has introduced a few new concepts to keep the game fresh including new customer types (like the clowns, who mesmerize other customers with their juggling) and environmental hazards that force players to visit each table to prevent them from getting rained on or the tablecloths flying off the table. Another fun feature is the ability to complete parties with townies that just show up on the outskirts of your serving area. As you progress through each area, more tables get added for more customers to get seated.

The game's story is simple and familiar - the larger corporation preying on the small business - but that shouldn't be the focus of what makes Diner Dash 5 fun. While the story might not pull you in, the voice acting in the level interludes is actually pretty impressive. It's not impressive enough to make you not want to skip the interludes fully. If you're looking for a lot of character development, you're in the wrong genre. Other features include the ability to fully customize Flo's new diner, making the final level a unique experience to every player. However, perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Diner Dash 5 is the integration of Facebook as a way to pull other players into the game.

At the menu screen of Diner Dash 5, players have the option to link their Facebook account to the game, which will post awards on your wall as you progress through the game. It's a cool little feature that some games are including now and adds a tiny bit more interactivity to the game. Every time the game wants to publish a story to your wall, it will ask, so don't worry too much about it flooding your wall with scores and such. The most interesting concept that PlayFirst has introduced through their Facebook integration is the ability to send in-game gifts through Facebook. That will appear on their wall. Pretty cool stuff.

At the end of the day, Diner Dash 5 might be more of the same, but that's not really a bad thing. The cornerstones of the series are all there, but PlayFirst has changed up the formula enough that it still feels fresh and new during every level and every play experience. The new locations and environmental hazards keep players on their toes, and the new customer types are a welcome addition to gameplay. The game runs incredibly smoothly on both PC and Mac, making it one of the few highly recommended casual games available for both operating systems. The collector's edition is currently $19.95 and that included a bevy of special features including 5 advanced levels of Diner Dash play, a digital art book and strategy guide, screensaver and wallpapers, and a "Flo Over Time" retrospective. If that price is a little too steep for you, the standard edition should be available in a matter of weeks. Diner Dash 5 is definitely a fun experience. Even if you haven't played the other installments, I'd recommend this one over the others. Since the concepts haven't changed that much and the improvements make the game more interesting, it's a great place to start.