Direct Link : Chuzzle
Publisher : Astraware

Price : $19.95

Graphics : 7 Out of 10
Sound : 7 Out of 10
Gameplay : 8 Out of 10
Longevity : 8 Out of 10
Overall : 7.5 Out of 10

Take some cute balls of cuddliness. Add them to a puzzle with a basic premise. Give four different modes of play and what are you left with? Mmmm, corset wearing, grid filling Tribbles? No Chuzzle of course.

OK, so Chuzzle isn’t going to win any awards for originality, but it more than makes up for that with sheer playability. Chuzzles of different colours, fill a 6×6 grid. The basic idea of the game is to slide a row or column to make a group of 3 Chuzzles or more. Where this game differs from games of a similar style, is you can slide a row or column the total width or height of the grid, Chuzzles can wrap to the other side of the screen, but the move only sticks if a group of three or more is made.

There are four modes of play.

• Classic Chuzzle : match the Chuzzles and watch them pop to gain a high score
• Speed Chuzzle : play against the clock to match Chuzzles until time runs out
• Mind Bender : solve the Chuzzle puzzles to match the pattern on screen
• Zen Chuzzle : a gentle endless game where you match Chuzzles to earn magical charms

There is also a special Bechuzzled mode to unlock, but how you do this, I don’t know. I imagine it has something to do with the different trophies you can win during the course of a game that get added to your trophy cabinet. The trophies are awarded for feats such as playing an entire game without hints; making a triple combo and popping seven Chuzzles as one group.

During the game you’ll encounter Chuzzles with different properties, Giant Chuzzles; Super Chuzzles and Rainbow Chuzzles which all carry their own special effects and bonuses.

Conclusion : For all puzzle fiends, Chuzzle has a very interesting twist on this style of puzzle game. With four different modes of play and an additional fifth mode to unlock, there is plenty of lasting gameplay. Graphics and sound are very nicely done and enhance the game playing experience nicely.