Super Collapse

You all know how much we like to whine about the glut of match-em-up puzzlers but for this review we're going to forgo that well trodden path and merely start by saying Super Collapse is a very enjoyable if flawed member of the match-em-up puzzlers family.

The format works something like Tetris in reverse, where rows of multi-coloured blocks are systematically added to the bottom of a grid. As three or more are grouped together you simply need to move a one-tile selection tool onto any of the tiles in the grouping and press the '5' key to make them all disappear. The idea is to score enough points to clear the stage and to ensure the blocks never reach the top of the grid.

Your progression through the game is tracked by a lovely map system in which each new stage is marked with a star. Along the path there are bonus stages where you can earn cash and shops in which you can spend that cash on power-ups.

The bonus stages are served via a casino (which incidentally seems slightly out of step with the rest of the game's tone) where you gain a choice of three different mini-games. There is a simple slot machine, a breakout-style stage and a memory-based effort - each of which is unlocked in sequence as you progress across the map.

As for the power-up money, you can spend it on bombs that make all tiles of a certain colour disappear, tiles that get rid of an entire row, tiles that slow down time, and various other helpful bits and pieces.

And it's a good thing too because once you get past the initial collection of easier stages, things really start to get tough. As you work your way through the game, the rules are sporadically modified to make things more difficult.

For example, scattered throughout the map are stages where you need to get rid of all the tiles on a full grid, making sure there are none left over, a process which takes some serious head scratching. Then, in the traditional bouts, things are made more difficult when tiles start falling from the top of the grid as well as surging up from the bottom.

Our only real criticism of Super Collapse is that though it may succeed in varying its core gameplay, the core itself is not terribly original.

Still it's all great fun and highly addictive. Real effort has been made to break up the gameplay with simple twists on the core formula that keeps everything fresh throughout, while the difficulty curve is on a comfortable but challenging up-swing.

So, the presentation is slick, the core idea is fun and polish gleams from almost every corner of the game. The fact that Super Collapse is a port means it is not about to win any awards for innovation, but it still commands a place alongside the best of its genre.