Arcade and Puzzle Video Games

Gem-swapping puzzle gamers fight on in Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, the sci-fi successor to the breakaway hit Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. As in the earlier game, players battle opponents by taking turns in a Bejeweled-style token-swapping puzzle game. The positions of any two adjacent tokens can be swapped. Lining up three or more tokens of the same kind removes them from the board, crediting the player with their power-up. Unlike its predecessor, Galactrix takes place in space, where there is no gravity. As hexagonal tokens are cleared from the round board, the direction of incoming replacement tokens is determined by the player's last move, instead of replacements always falling down from above.

When not engaged in deep-space ship-to-ship battles, there is an expansive, galactic map to explore, full of side missions, skirmishes, and other opportunities. As the first Puzzle Quest played out along a fantasy RPG storyline, the follow-up is built on the narrative framework of an epic space-opera, with ships to create and capture, planets to colonize, and intergalactic commodities to trade. Players can hack jump gates, mine asteroids, create new items, and perform other risky but profitable tasks by winning in variations of the token-swapping puzzle game. As they face greater challenges and tougher opponents, players progress from novice pilot to fleet commander, gaining stronger powers, more ships, and valuable experience with each quest completed. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

The online animals known as Neopets star in this strategic board game developed by the team behind the acclaimed Puzzle Quest series. Inspired by Reversi or Othello, the object in Neopets Puzzle Adventure is to convert your opponent's chips to your color by surrounding them horizontally, diagonally, or vertically. The action takes place on an 8x8 grid displayed on the touch screen, with pictures of your Neopet and its rival appearing on the top screen. The "adventure" part of the title alludes to the several exotic areas you'll visit while challenging rival Neopets. Twelve customizable Neopets are included, with the single-player storyline featuring over 150 quests. Improve your odds of success by enlisting the help of PetPets, which grant special abilities to use during matches. A total of 150 PetPets are available to collect throughout your travels across the three lands of Neopia. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

As the title suggests, the goal of this action-puzzle game is to get out of it, again and again, as quickly and safely as possible. In each level, players take control of Mr. ESC, a character whose specialty is leading hapless citizens out of confining situations. Each level presents a different room in a burning building, with poor people waiting to be rescued. Mr. ESC can manipulate objects and use ladders, ropes, and other such tools to clear a path to the "Exit" in each room (not completely unlike an updated take on the classic Lemmings games). The look of Exit suggests a sophisticated, cut-paper collage, with colorful, silhouetted characters and objects. The DS version of Exit offers gamers more than 100 different stages, touch-screen controls, and global rankings on Nintendo's Wi-Fi connection. ~ All Game Guide

PictoImage asks players to test their stylus skill in a series of drawing mini-games designed for multiplayer use. Though similar to Agetec's title L.O.L., PictoImage is most like the classic party game Pictionary, in that gamers take turns drawing objects and then guessing what others have drawn. PictoImage uses a game-sharing system, so up to eight people can play at a time using only one game card, and five different modes offer players some variety. Those looking to sharpen their skills can try out more than 90 different practice examples, and players particularly proud of their work can save their drawings and show them to friends using the Picture Gallery. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Offering a new twist on traditional rhythm games, the anime-flavored Ontamarama has you keeping the beat with one hand and quickly ensnaring colorful creatures called Ontama with the other. The challenge involves keeping a watchful eye for flying, floating, and racing Ontama so they can be "caught" with the stylus on the touch screen. Since each Ontama gives the displayed notes their tone, they are essential to mastering each upbeat, bouncy song.

In addition to completing all 16 tracks, players are encouraged to improve their scores. Bonus multipliers are awarded for encircling multiple Ontamas for a single note, for example, and multiple difficulty settings are available for an added challenge. The rhythm part of the game is accomplished via Control Pad, where players input various commands to play the notes scrolling across the screen. Four game modes include Tutorial, Free Play, Challenge, and Story. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Players must manipulate colored tiles to clear the board in Honeycomb Beat. Selections of tutorials offer instruction on panel flipping, vector labels, and advanced techniques. In "Puzzle" mode, gamers must complete over 200 challenges by matching tiles, arranging them to form designs, or creating identical horizontal lines. Players maneuver the tiles by selecting honeycombs on the touch screen and then viewing the resulting action on the top. Similar to Tetris, "Evolution" mode requires gamers to eliminate rows of tiles before they reach the top of the screen. Honeycomb Beat includes a ranking system that tracks playing statistics and overall improvements in performance. As players complete each board, such customization options as panel color, backgrounds, music, and visuals are unlocked. ~ Gracie Leach, All Game Guide