3D Logic

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. And a similar ethos should be applied to not judging a game by its name. Except in 3D Logic's case. It's a boring, functional name, and the game is pretty boring and functional too.

Which is a shame, because the puzzle 3D Logic is based around isn't a bad one.

Each level looks a lot like a Rubik's Cube, but plays nothing like one. Instead, you're given a cube with several different coloured squares on it, and have to draw paths from one like-colour to another.

There are two of every colour on the cube - so red needs to be connected to red, and green to green, and so on. The tricky part of this task comes in the fact that paths can't cross or block one another, meaning there's often only one way to complete a puzzle.

Drawing these paths is simple. You simply highlight the square containing the colour you want to start with and then move your cursor over the path you want to take to its matching coloured square. You can't erase a mistake, but you can go over a square with another colour. And you can quickly reset the puzzle at the touch of a button at any point, too.

To begin with, the cube you're playing with is only a 3x3 grid, but that gets bigger as you progress, making the game gradually more difficult.

More colours are introduced to the cube, too, so instead of just fitting two paths around one another you're soon navigating three or four of them.

As I said, this simple idea isn't a bad one. The main reason 3D Logic doesn't get the thumbs up is because it makes its own idea seem rubbish by presenting it in such a lacklustre manner.

Its sounds and visuals are strangely reminiscent of a Spectrum game, and manoeuvring around the cube is laboriously slow, largely because you have to wait for the 3D cube to rotate every time you need to reach a different side from the one you're on.

In fact, 3D Logic would probably be a better game minus its lauded 3D bit. If it was just played on a 2D grid it wouldn't be as tedious.

The thing is, while working out how to connect each square to the other is a challenging enough task, it's not the most interesting one to do repetitively and the game could have benefited from a few diversions.

But there are none. No collectibles, trophies, hints or even other modes to play on top of the normal game. You can't even go back and replay levels you've unlocked. Your only option is to play through the game - in which case you're automatically put at the start of the level you're up to every time you turn the game on - or restart a new game.

When there are puzzle games like Luxor Quest and brain bafflers like Platinum Sudoku 2 out there, there's really no reason for paying for and downloading 3D Logic. Do the logical thing and fork out for something better.