Lumines reviews

Lumines is an unusually entertaining puzzle game and although it's hardly a technology showcase for the PSP it is certainly an addictive and genuinely fun game which provides a continuously challenging experience.

At first glance, Lumines could be considered a Tetris clone. Its challenge is different however as the game requires you to create squares of the same coloured blocks to keep the playing area from filling up. A “time line” zips across the screen from left to right clearing the squares you've made each iteration and the bonuses associated with combos encourage you to think quickly to build as many squares as you can each time it passes.

Occasionally a special block, marked with a dot in its centre, will drop. Complete a square with this block and all same-coloured blocks adjacent to it will disappear with the next time line passing and this can result in some pretty cool screen-clearing action.

All-in-all Lumines is a thoroughly entertaining and addictive game which is perfectly suited to a hand-held system. Although it has bright colours, sharp graphics and a distinct style, if you're looking for a game to show off your PSP then Ridge Racer or Wipeout Pure are better options.