Lumines! Live

Block-based puzzle games are ten-a-penny these days yet few shake up the formula as much as Lumines. A subtle blend of rhythm action and a music based score system this gives the block puzzler a new lease of life.

The premise is simple; blocks cascade down the screen and pairing up four of the same colour makes them disappear. If they reach the top of the screen it's game over so it's up to you to stem the flow. This is where the music comes in as each level has a killer tune running in the background and range from cool salsa beats to trippy electronica.

Songs vary in tempo and a line scrolls horizontally across the level in time to the beat. The blocks you have matched up vanish when the line passes through them. You will find it appealing to try and rack up as many rows and blocks as possible before the line swings around again but there is a risk/reward factor here.

You could get a massive combo if you get lots of blocks lined up in time or you could drop some blocks in halfway through a beat and this negates the combo leaving you with a large mass of blocks to clear by the next again beat making for some frantic scrambles.

If this sounds a bit confusing, thats because Lumines is a game you experience and master through continued play. It bears all the addictiveness of its block-puzzle peers but the whole thing is just a whole load cooler. Eliminating brightly coloured blocks as a weird animation plays out in the background in time to your actions can often become euphoric. The slightest action mixes the music. For example, if you rotate a block it produces a snare hit or a rousing 'YEAH!!' from the vocalist on the track. Likewise, dropping bricks into the level may produce a hand clap or shake of the maracas and this sort of charm is often hard to deny.

Other game modes include time attacks (clear a set amount of blocks within the limit), puzzle mode (drawing pictures with blocks) and XBOX Live play. Online this game suffers slightly. Sometimes it's hard to find a game in the first place and it's also a shame that matches can be won within a matter of seconds. When you play against an opponent you don't play the main mode. Instead you play battle mode where the size of your level decreases the more the other person gains a lead on you, offering less space to regain the match. Basically if you slip up once and you're fucked, which doesn't make for the most compelling online experience.

The 1000 MS points is somewhat steep, though a few downloadable levels let you try before you buy.