Do you remember the very first time you played Tetris? I do. I played it for hours on end on my cool new Nintendo Gameboy, and I only stopped because I had to do my homework and clean my room. Hey, don’t laugh, the year was 1989 and I was only…well never mind how old I was!

When "Tetris" first appeared in the mid 1980’s, it took the gaming world by surprise. How could a game that consisted solely of arranging falling blocks be so darn addictive?

In an era where games like "Super Mario Bros." was considered state-of-the-art, "Tetris" looked primitive. And, yet, "Tetris" the creation of Russian computer programmer Alexey Pajitnov is without a doubt one of the most influential video games in history.

Why am I taking a trip down memory lane, you ask? Well, good ol’ Alexey has done it again and proven he hasn’t lost his touch after all these years with his new development “Mosaki Blocks Deluxe”; another clever puzzle game that’s just as challenging and addictive. And the best part is, this time I get to play for hours and not have to stop to do my pesky little chores!

The gameplay goes something like this, there are these shapes and you move around the screen…think you heard all this before, yeah well I guarantee you’ve never seen it done like this before!

You're given a bunch of oddly shaped blocks of different sizes and colors and a small space to work with. The goal is to place blocks of the same color from the center of the grid to the edge with the matching color. When a path is created, the matching blocks in that path will disappear, and play will continue. Each level has bonus blocks that will erase and add wild colors. There are two modes of play, Timed and Marathon. Once you've made the required amount of connections, you move on to the next stage.

Each time a square is made with the blocks, points are awarded to the square. The bigger the square, the more points you are scored, squares can be enlarged by adding more blocks. Clever strategic thinking is key here in terms of the best placement of blocks, you must complete the required number of connections before your time runs out. Be careful though once there are no more moves, it is game over.

The game has an overall Asian feel to it (but you probably already noticed that from the title font right?) The graphics are nice and appealing, and while not graphically stunning, are still bright and colorful. The music also has an Asian feel to it which is pleasant, easygoing and never gets too distracting.

So if you’ve been looking for a new twist on Tetris, are tired of the same old puzzle games, enjoy being challenged and have a yen for anything Asian then this is your game.

(Asian preference optional, not really required for full enjoyment.)

SideNote: I eventually had to stop playing “Mosaki Blocks” however (sad, sad day). These reviews don’t write themselves y’know, and besides my room was starting to smell funky!