Bubble Bash

No game is safe, these days, from unnecessary narrative. The simplest games need explanation, story, motive – whatever it takes to explain why you're dropping blocks or shooting pixellated UFOs out of the sky.

Bubble Bash on iPod is no exception, required to justify its bubble-popping violence with a backstory. As islanders Malia and Kale, then, turns out you're on a hunt for treasure that involves finding torn pieces of a map. The only way to uncover pieces of the treasure map is to clear stages filled with bubbles by grouping like-coloured bubbles. With trusty bamboo bat in hand, it's up to you to hit multi-hued bubbles together into groups of three to make them disappear in the name of treasure hunting.

Using the clickwheel to set the trajectory, you press the center button to launch a bubble up the screen. It's a remarkably intuitive control scheme. In fact, it's superior to the method used to play the mobile version of Bubble Bash since you're able to quickly lob bubbles with flicks of the clickwheel. As a result, you get to bust through stages in less than a minute. This makes Bubble Bash perfect for those times when you have only a few short minutes to distract yourself, whether it be on a train commute or in the moments waiting before a doctor's appointment (if nothing else, it'll take your mind off things).

Not that you'll want to set the game down when it's time to go, though. Thanks to the variety sprinkled throughout the 100-plus levels, Bubble Bash always feels fresh and challenging. Variations on the core bubble-bashing gameplay ensure stages differ slightly from one to the next. You might be tasked with eliminating all the bubbles in one stage, only to be asked in the next level to shoot down birds carrying bubbles. There's a handful of different levels that grow increasingly more difficult as you progress further into the game.

A wide assortment of bubble types also keeps things interesting. Complementing the eight classic spheres are special versions that trigger various effects when launched. Take the bomb bubble, for instance, that explodes upon impact and destroys any neighbouring bubbles. Or the useful chameleon bubble that automatically transforms into the colour of whichever bubble it touches. Undoubtedly the strangest is the flower bubble that forms new bubbles in every empty space adjacent to where it lands. Learning not just how to deal with these special types but actually strategically utilizing them to complete stages is what makes the Bubble Bash fun.

Meanwhile, bronze, silver, and gold trophies reward your for completing stages in record time. Naturally, this ranking system serves as a motivation for going back to previous stages to aim for a shinier trophy. The lure of capturing special items for personalizing your character also boosts the replay value, not to mention the fact it offers a bit of incentive for working through tough stages. Both Malia and Kale can be customized with clothes and accessories befitting their personalities, such as new board shorts for Kale and a sparkling evening gown for Malia.

So, for a game that's essentially a port Bubble Bash really comes into its own on iPod. The intuitive clickwheel controls and sheer variety in game mechanics make this a great buy, even if its status as a conversion prevents it from bursting with originality.