Meteos

$29.99, Nintendo DS

Teaches: logic, spatial relations, patterns, math

CTR Review

Falling block puzzle games like Meteos generally fall into two categories: Original titles (Tetris, Columns, and the PSP's Lumines); and ripoffs (Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Pokemon Puzzle Challenge and others). Meteos is 100% original. So original, in fact, that it can be intimidating at first. Stick with it, though, and you'll find layers of complexity that previous puzzle games have lacked. The level of difficulty can be set by the player, and as the difficulty rises, so do the rewards. While the first difficulty setting will only require you to understand the basic principle of the game (line up three similar blocks horizontally or vertically to launch them into the air), the third will require the player to pull off extended combos in order to win. Though the buttons can be used to control, the DS stylus works remarkably well with Meteos. In fact, it's the unique control-style that distinguishes Meteos from its counterparts. It allows the player to zip all over the playing field, moving blocks as fast as their hand will allow. Controlling Meteos with the buttons is impossibly sluggish. While Meteos lacks the pick-up-and-play simplicity of Tetris, it has the advantage that in addition to requiring improved reflexes and hand-eye coordination to progress, a much greater sense of strategy is required as well. Like Tetris, however, Meteos can become incredibly addictive. If you're looking for a DS title with an unlimited amount of replay value, here it is. Just remember to eat every once in a while. You can link wirelessly with up to three friends and have a war of the worlds as players select which planet to launch their Meteos toward. Team up, customize items or establish time or stock limits. Using DS Download Play, players can take on up to three friends with only one game card.