Block 3D

The lure of the third dimension is a mysterious one. Despite the fact that some games clearly work better in 2D, game developers will try to convince you otherwise, insisting their 3D interpretation is a minor work of genius that expands the original game concept enormously.

The majority of the time this is clearly nonsense. Sure, very occasionally it genuinely is a work of genius, but most of the time it either doesn't work properly or loses most of the spark that made the 2D original such fun to play.

Our reason for mentioning all this is that Block 3D is, as you may already have noticed, a 3D version of Tetris, with you looking down the play area. This gives you a bird's eye view of the game, enabling you to watch the block as it moves slowly downwards.

This game isn't original though, as 3D versions of Tetris appeared shortly after the Russians decided to share their gaming genius with the world. It is, however, the sort of title that should work perfectly on a mobile format.

We say 'should' because, as rabid fans of Tetris and people who've spent more hours than they will admit to playing the classic version on the Game Boy, we found this 3D version predictably disappointing.

For a start, the frantic fast-paced gameplay is substituted for something rather more sedate and even more tactical. In 3D, it's not just a case of simply rotating the blocks through two dimensions, you also have to spin them around, too. The slower gameplay gives you just enough time to spot an area that needs filling and then work out how to manipulate your block into it.

To make things slightly easier, each layer of the play area is colour coded, so that as the blocks start to build up, you're able to see which sections need to be filled to clear the layer. The stages are also formed around a grid, which again helps you to plan where you need to go.

Unfortunately though, you quickly begin to pine for the old-fashioned Tetris, where you could immediately spot the weak areas and plan strategies to fill them. With so many levels, different shapes and colour coding, you never really have a feeling for the shape of the pattern you're creating.

With time and a higher level of patience than most of us are used to, Block 3D does become simpler to understand and more enjoyable to play, but never to a degree that addiction takes hold.

Yes, there's a certain level of enjoyment to be found if you're prepared to put the time in, but we suspect that the majority of gamers will quickly tire of the complicated controls and slow-paced gameplay before the game's (admittedly limited) charms are fully revealed.