Overview: To explain the addictive properties of the Sony PSP game "Lumines" is a bit like explaining your love of TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" to a nonwatcher or the allure of grilled onions on a Whataburger to a fast-food snob. Until someone has experienced the mind-taking, time-sucking properties of what looks from the outside like a jazzed-up "Tetris" clone, they won't get it. They can't get it. But that's might be a good thing because that means they won't borrow your PSP to play it, leaving more time for you to advance up the levels of the sweet, sweet gaming goodness that is "Lumines."

Lumines Platform(s): Sony PSP* Company: Ubisoft Type/Genre: Puzzle Rating: E (Everyone) *-Reviewed • Official Site • Arcade360 Index

So what is it, exactly? All right, fine, it's a "Tetris" clone, a thumb-wearying falling-blocks game. But what "Steamboat Willie" is to Pixar films, "Lumines" is to the puzzle-block genre. With a throbbing techno soundtrack, lush backgrounds and a twist in gameplay that challenges your timing as well as your mental ability to position colored blocks into neat rectangles, "Lumines" feels like an evolutionary step for puzzle games. Wireless multiplayer and a frustratingly high level of challenge don't hurt the game either.

Modes: Single player, versus mode against the CPU and wireless multiplayer. You can unlock skins to access levels you've already gotten to.

Game Play: As the blocks fall in "Lumines," what looks like a vertical beam of energy passes slowly from left to right, scanning the blocks below and taking whatever same-colored boxes you've constructed on a very wide playing field. That beam is the key difference between this game and "Tetris." As soon as the beam passes, you've got to scurry to create blocks out of the pieces as they fall to create as many combos as you can before that beam makes another pass. This crucial difference adds an element of pulse-racing pressure to the staid falling block challenge. The soundtrack flows along with the timing of the beam and the action gets progressively quicker. In multiplayer modes, the play area is halved for each player and it adjusts horizontally based on who's winning, cramping the losing player and making gaming life more difficult for them.

Technical Presentation: While it doesn't employ the 3-D graphics capabilities that make the PSP such a powerful gaming platform, "Lumines" is still a great-looking game. Backgrounds and gameplay graphics are crisp and dynamic; levels flow from one to the next in smooth transitions with no in-game load times. The soundtrack is one of the best of any current game, a mix of hypnotic trance beats and hip-hop rhythms. "Lumines" looks and feels unique, and it's tough to get the game out of your head once you're in there.

Ease of Use: "Lumines" is a tough game to get used to; for veteran "Tetris" players, the format seems familiar, but getting used to the rhythm of the game is tough and advancing through the levels can be frustrating. Once you lose, in single player mode, you start from the beginning. There's no "Continue" here. Once you get into the game, though, it's very tough to put down.

Nice Surprise: The inclusion of wireless multiplayer is nice, but you'll have to be within range of other PSP players with the game to enjoy it; you can't scout for opponents online.

Enraging Quirk: I'm no whiny gamer, but the game can be extremely tough. Make just a few mistakes, and you'll be starting over from square (or rather block) one.

Tip: As with "Tetris" you should be thinking about three or four moves ahead, positioning your blocks and readying them for large combos to advance.

Bottom Line: "Lumines" is a perfect game for the PSP, the kind of time-killer that's great for bus rides or flights; you can shut off the PSP and turn it back on to pick up right where you left off. Take a set of headphones, though; you'll want to enjoy the game's great music without bothering your neighbors.