Puzzle Bobble . . . what a cute name but, in truth, it should be called Tetris With Bubbles. No longer are those geometric shapes the stars of the show. Puzzle Bobble, which has been around in a host of guises on various platforms, finally brings its bright and cheerful dimension to the PC.
With Tetris you had to piece together blocks of differing shapes and sizes where as in Puzzle Bobble you must match up different coloured bubbles. These bubbles are shot from an arrow at the bottom of the screen by two lovable dinosaurs. You control the direction in which they are fired and when you have matched up three or more of the same colour they are released thus leaving you with more space and time to consider your next move.
There are three modes of gameplay: one player, two player and, challenge but the two-player option is by far the most enjoyable. In fact, it's fair to say that without this mode Puzzle Bobble wouldn't warrant a second look.
Despite its frivolous nature (the accompanying soundtrack is gaiety personified) Puzzle Bobble is as challenging and sometimes as infuriating as the best of this genre around. However, unless you have a willing partner to take you on, it can become a little tedious.
Graphics: 75%, Sound: 70%, Gameplay: 88%