Hands on with Geek Out! on DS

Games, as a form of escapism, often allow you to take on alternate persona or travel to exotic places. So when Geek Out! puts you in the sneakers of a school-age dork, it hits a little too close to home. Since when do gamers want to play as the very stereotype they work so hard to fight against?

Since now. Having played the game during the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, we're keen to don dork's clothes for the full release of this tough, intriguing puzzler.

Geek Out! casts you as a young boy who resorts to wits in order to counter bullies at school. With the help of four scientists, you build different contraptions to outsmart the bullies. There are over a hundred different levels that involve tinkering with various materials to create these objects. Parallels with PC and mobile puzzler The Incredible Machine are clear, where physical puzzles are solved using a slate of specific items.

It makes great sense on DS where materials can be manipulated via the touchscreen. Puzzles are based on true physics with materials consisting of different levers, pulleys, other mechanic parts. Using the stylus, you're able to select materials and drag them into the desired spot on the screen. As you progress further into the game, the puzzles naturally ramp up in difficulty and introduce new elements. From mechanical physics at the start of the game, you'll move to dealing with liquids and then complex gases.

The puzzles are tough. Figuring out what to do can be a real challenge, especially when you consider that most puzzles have multiple possible solutions. The first level we completed involved bouncing a ball through a goal using a catapult and spring board. Since your available materials are restricted for each level, it becomes a test of trying to solve the puzzle without using all of the parts. After a few levels, we were having trouble figuring out some using all of the provided materials.

A hint button pushes you in the right direction if you get stuck, although it doesn't come free. Every puzzle is timed, so taking a hint eats into your overall score. When competing against a friend in the game's head-to-head local wireless multiplayer mode, you're better off avoiding hints to keep your score high.

Despite our disenchantment with the premise, there's a certain charm to Geek Out! While it's immensely challenging, it also offers a sensation of accomplishment when you manage to solve its tough puzzles. The local multiplayer is novel too, although we wonder how competitive you actually can get with these difficult stages. We'll let you know later this autumn with the game ships in the US.