| Description:
The Next Tetris is an updated version of the now-classic block-dropping puzzle game which propelled the Game Boy to its worldwide superstardom. As per previous incarnations, four-piece blocks in a variety of shapes drop from the top of the screen and must be rotated to fit together carefully at the bottom to complete lines; this time, though, the blocks' component pieces are differently coloured, and these different coloured bits will split off and drop down if there's a space below them. It adds another dimension to the gameplay, but one that wasn't really necessary. Another gripe is that the aim of the main game is not to gain a high score or a record number of lines, but to clear the screen and move onto the next level--kind of like the Game Boy original's Game B. A supposedly Classic Tetris is also included here, though the points you score don't increase with the levels and even a Tetris (four lines cleared at once) will get you a measly 16 points--nowhere near as satisfying as the 12000-odd points you'd get for clearing the same on level nine of the original. Altogether, The Next Tetris is somehow not as compelling as the Game Boy version, and, since the online multiplayer mode has been dropped from the UK release, it's really only worth buying if you don't have one of Nintendo's handheld stars. --Rikki Price
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