Just Fillin'

Everyone knows the best part of a sandwich cookie is the filling. If Nabisco would sell a tube of the sugary white paste that they pump inside each Oreo, they could make a killing (or just a lot of cavities).

Just Fillin' gives you the unadulterated good stuff: pure puzzle gameplay without any fuss or fringe. There's a massive cavity that needs to be filled with modes, but that only highlights how sweet the game is.

Your job is to displace a pool of water resting along the bottom of the screen. Just Fillin' gives you one tool in which to do this: your finger.

Bubbles are created by touching the screen: the longer you hold a finger down, the larger the bubble. Of course, you want to create bubbles as large as possible in order to displace more water and move to the next level. That's tricky when you factor in the spiky balls that bounce around the screen.

Should a spiky ball run into a bubble you're creating, it pops. Fully formed bubbles, however, can't be destroyed. The objective is to create bubbles in the spaces free of spiky balls, quickly forming them to avoid the risk of being popped.

With each passing level, one more spiky ball is added. Level 1 can be done in a snap, but when you arrive at level 20 working around those spiky balls is tough.

Physics add a sophisticated touch to the proceedings. Tilting your handset allows you to move bubbles already on the screen. Often this helps clear space for new bubbles, but it also shows off the slick visual style.

Each level takes on a new palette, the water splashing about a changing background with every tilt. The use of colour is surprisingly effective despite the simple combinations.

Just Fillin' could stand to bulk up on its slate of modes. The game is limited to two identical modes of play - Normal and Hardcore - that differ only in difficulty. Spiky ball behaviour, the manner in which bubbles are created, and the layout of each level remain the same across both.

Introducing new types of enemies or levels with static obstacles in an alternate mode is necessary for variety and value. The concept at play here is fantastic, but it needs further fleshing out.

What is available, though, is extremely well done. Just Fillin' combines the accessibility of one-touch puzzling with advanced features like physics for an original, fun-filled game.