Block 3D 2

It’s a universally accepted notion that Tetris works best in two dimensions. The deceptively simple concept of slotting different shapes into holes is an innate pleasure that works so perfectly because you’re only matching one side of a shape.

Turning Tetris into 3D risks destroying the purity and simplicity of the game, a fact so eloquently displayed in Block 3D 2.

A sequel of sorts, to a Java game we hardly lavished praise on back in 2007, developer Cocoasoft’s title has been given a slight lick of HD paint for the Android release. Sadly, the unresponsive controls, poor instructions, and the simple fact that Tetris in 3D doesn’t really work mean it’s hardly a dramatic comeback.

The first hurdle for newcomers is the lack of a tutorial. Instead, you’re presented with a bird’s eye view of an empty, wire-frame tower, with shapes gradually falling to the bottom. You have to figure out what to do (or unearth the text instructions in the pause menu).

The aim is to earn the highest score possible by filling layers of the tower with slotted-together shapes, which causes them to disappear. If pieces fall on top of each other, the tower starts to grow - with the game ending if you reach the top.

You move, pivot, or flip each shape by tapping and swiping the screen, which sounds sensible but the lag between your gestures and the response on-screen means over (or under) tapping is an unavoidable pain.

Every 1,000 points, the pace picks up a notch - eventually reaching ridiculous speeds - so the clumsy controls become more pronounced the longer you survive.

The wire-frame shapes create their own issues, too, as it can be very tricky to work out which way up a piece is thanks to the number of crisscrossing, intersecting lines.

With gameplay feeling so unrefined, you’d hope Cocoasoft would have bolstered the package with a range of play modes and bonuses. It hasn’t.

Instead, there are nine different difficulty levels - which ramp up the speed the higher you go - and only your own highscores to compete against.

Block 3D 2 is, simply, a lacklustre puzzler that’s neither innovative nor addictive. Our advice is to stick with two dimensions and download the real Tetris for free from the Market instead.