While Tetris was originally a very unique game, it's gotten stale through the years. After all, how many variations on the falling blocks theme can we tolerate ? Taito's latest offering, Super Bust-a-Move 2, is an attempt to offer an alternative to the falling blocks franchise while delivering a much needed freshening up to the puzzle game genre.

Gameplay
If you've played anything in the Bust a Move series, you already know how the gameplay goes; bubbles appear at the top of the screen, and you must pop them. But you can't just pop at will, those are colored bubbles, and you must pop them in matching sets of three to clear the level. To pop the bubbles, you fire your own colored bubbles at those already onscreen, hoping to match up the colors, as I've already said. Pretty simple right ?

This installment of the Bust-a-Move series offers up something new in its story mode. The story mode, unfortunately, isn't much more than some cut scenes and stills trying to give you a feeling that the character you've chosen is moving through a special adventure while popping bubbles. But no worries, because the simplicity of popping bubbles is what really makes this game fun.

The controls for the game are incredibly simple (how hard can bubble popping be ?) and don't detract from the fun of the game at all. There's really not much I can say about the controls beyond the fact that they fit the game well and are easy to pick up.

Graphics
To get right to the point, this is a Bust-a-Move game, so there's not a whole lot to say about the graphics. All the cartoony-ness is there, with brightly colored bubbles and the unique looks to the characters you choose to play. While you won't see any jaw-dropping graphics here, they are good for what they are: Bust-a-Move graphics. For this version of the game, the developers have added a few new animations and characters to spice things up, but don't expect anything eye-popping here, that's not what the game's about.

Sound
I hate to repeat myself, but this is a Bust-a Move game. Therefore,you shouldn't expect ear-blasting sounds or a massive surround sound experience. The sounds do the job for this game, and that's all that matters. Happy music and lively bubble effects suit this game just fine.

Replayability
Super Bust-a-Move 2 is a solid puzzle game, and as such, should keep you coming back for hours on end if you're a puzzle fan. As the levels are pretty much random, there's no patterns you can learn that will help you beat the game every time. Instead, you get a new experience every time you play this game. And as you clear levels, everything speeds up, pulling you even deeper into the game.

The multiplayer option, which pits you against a friend in a split-screen mode, further enhances the bubble-blasting addictiveness of Super Bust-a-Move 2.

There's also a new editor mode, which allows you to create your own puzzles.

With the simple yet challenging gameplay, multiplayer options and the editor mode, you're sure to lose plenty of hours to Super Bust-a-Move 2.

To sum it all up, Super Bust-a-Move 2 is a worthy purchase if you're in the mood for a new puzzler, or maybe your kid or significant other is begging you for a new game. With it's cartoony nature and lack of violence (hey, those bubbles deserve to be popped !) it's a good match for anyone who enjoys a fast- paced and cutesy puzzle game.