Zoo Marbles

You wouldn't know it from the title, but I'm pretty certain you'll have played Zoo Marbles before. Because despite its flimsy story about the cute animals living in your phone needing rescuing from the evil Marble Monster, make no mistake – this is game is a simple and unashamed Bust-a-Move clone.

Which in itself isn't such a terrible thing. Completely original puzzle games are few and far between and it's often all too easy to compare new ones with the Tetrises and Bust-a-Moves and Zoo Keepers that have gone before them. Similarities are fine… as long as the new game evolves, or at least attempts something new.

The problem with Zoo Marbles though is that it doesn't. It gives you a level full of clusters of sticky coloured marbles and the ability to shoot more randomly-coloured marbles at them, and when three or more of the same colour meet they disappear. Clear the screen of marbles before the ceiling – which drops every 30 seconds or so – pushes these marbles to the bottom of the screen, and you win. Otherwise you lose a life and must try again.

Perhaps I'm just being picky, but I thought that the word 'Zoo' in the game's title might have meant there was a bit of an animal theme running through the game, too.

But no. Aside from the picture of the animal you're currently trying to save being the background to each level (none of which seems to be your typical zoo animals anyway – teddy bear, sheep and dog)- and a purple octopus who pops up to offer help from time to time, there's not a zoo animal in sight. Clearly calling it Marbles might not have been so good in terms of downloads, but it would have been a much more accurate description.

Enough complaining of unoriginality and a lack of animals, though. We've revealed the game is a Bust-a-Move clone, but if it's a good one then that's something at least.

The verdict on that is that it's an 'okay' one.

There are three game modes: Ceiling, Time and Avalanche. Ceiling is the game in its most basic form, where you work your way through multiple levels trying to clear them of marbles before the ceiling falls on you. All that's included to make it any more complex than that are the bonus marbles that crop up from time to time.

These offer help ranging from a laser sight and a marble which clears all marbles the same colour as the one it's fired at, to extra time and points and dynamite which that blows up all the surrounding marbles.

The Time mode is a bit more interesting, with each new level bringing a different challenge. However, they're all points-related and along the lines of 'score 100 points in 40 seconds'. Once your lives are up then you start again right at the beginning. Or you do if you can muster up the motivation to do so – which isn't likely after a couple of goes.

Finally, Avalanche – unlocked once you've finished the previous two modes – is like a reverse of Ceiling mode, with marbles appearing like an avalanche.

Zoo Marbles isn't a bad game, it just doesn't evoke much excitement. It's unoriginal, its presentation is on the average side and nothing – from the bonuses to the challenges to the game's difficulty curve – is particularly well done. There are years old puzzle games for mobile better than this, meaning that there's not really much reason to bother with this one.