2-4-1 Gem Drop and Super Collapse

Like every other console known to man, there's no shortage of puzzle games on mobile phone. Which shouldn't be a bad thing, because any portable gaming device needs a decent puzzle game or ten.

It can be a bad thing when you just end up with streams and streams of identical puzzle games. After all, there's only so many times anyone needs to play another Tetris or Bust-A-Move spin-off.

And granted, neither Gem Drop or Super Collapse are the most original puzzlers you'll find for your mobile. They are, however, both good examples of their genre - among the best, in fact.

Starting with Gem Drop, the game gives you one gem at a time, dropped from the top of the screen. Your job is to move them left or right so they go where you want them to - which is ideally aside three like-coloured gems.

Get four of them lined up and they disappear - essential when you're trying to prevent a great big pile-up of gems on the screen. If they reach the top of the screen, you lose.

Where things get more interesting is with the point scoring system. You get more money for assembling these gems in a shape - a square, diamond or, most difficult, a heart. It's not an easy challenge.

And just to throw in a bit of extra difficulty, different maps have different criteria to tick off in order to get past them. So you might have to clear all the gems of a certain colour, or make a certain number of one shape.

Add to that a timed mode, and Gem Drop is a super challenging game that will keep you hooked for some time. Even if it does come with a completely pointless storyline. Does Tetris have a plot? No - game developers, take note.

The second game in this 2-4-1 offering is another similar puzzle game, but one that uses blocks that are added to the bottom of the screen instead of gems that drop from the top. Don't get too excited.

The blocks are all different colours and when three or more end up touching, you're able to get rid of them. All you need to do is highlight that grouping and they disappear.

A little more variety is added with a bonus stage in between levels, where you play three different mini-games (a Breakout-style game, a memory-based one and a slot machine) in order to win money. This can then be spend on different power ups that can be used in the main game, which include a bomb that evaporates one colour of blocks and tiles that slow down time.

As you'd expect, the longer you play, the more difficult things get. Until some serious head-scratching is required so you're not left with a load of mismatched blocks.

In our original reviews of both games, we had a few negative words to say about the originality of both games. However, a lack of it isn't a problem when the end result is enjoyable. And that's certainly the case with these games. Paired together, they make a particularly attractive gaming bundle to any puzzle fiends.

2-4-1 Gem Drop and Super Collapse

A great value duo of puzzle games which, while not being the most original games on mobile, both are among the best of their type
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Kath Brice
Kath Brice
Kath gave up a job working with animals five years ago to join the world of video game journalism, which now sees her running our DS section. With so many male work colleagues, many have asked if she notices any difference.