Stuck!

You've got to love puzzle games. They can be so delightfully simple and yet so addictive that you're often left wondering how a) it hadn't been done before and b) how come you didn't think of it?

CobraMobile's Stuck! promises to follow the simple formula route, and dares to believe it's a classic in the making. But has it actually got what it takes?

The idea is to roll your yellow magnetic ball around the numerous maze-like levels, so as to get to the other balls located in different parts of the stage. Doing so sees the individual balls stick on to your spherical avatar and, once you've collected all of them, you move on to the next level.

The interesting part, however, is that once you have added the first ball to your yellow 'character', you can then rotate clockwise to help you negotiate awkward obstacles and tight corners. But as you add more balls to yourself (it can be in a straight line or more awkward configurations – it all depends on how you approach a ball before it sticks to you) you become less manoeuvrable in tricky situations, and you've got to think about your expanding backside as you attempt to swing it around.

Imagine trying to drive an articulated lorry and you'll get the general idea.

The strategy part of the game comes in to play in the route you're required to take towards some of the balls, which needs to be planned in a way so as to ensure you don't become too unwieldy to collect the remaining balls. If, for instance, you're four balls long, and the only way through has space for no more than three, then you've had it. This means you've got to work out the correct order in which to collect the balls.

The playing area of the mazes is made up of a variety of open spaces, tight corridors, blocks and other obstacles that you have to get around, and they're certainly varied, with no two levels looking the same.

If you want a tougher challenge, progression on to the Advance and Expert modes is possible, provided you beat the 10,000 and 20,000 'entry fee' scores, respectively. It's an almighty challenge that will keep you going for ages although bear in mind you also earn bonus points for completing a level within the set timer located at the top of the screen.

Presentation-wise, there are little surprises. The music in Stuck! is a mellow, if slightly quirky, ditty designed to help with the concentration no doubt, while the graphics are the usual fare for a puzzle game. So, no bells, no whistles, but they do the job.

Generally, Stuck! is on to a good thing with its simple yet playable game concept. There's plenty of levels to keep your brain going, which equates to a commendable level of longevity and replay potential. We suspect it will never be regarded as a classic, but it's certainly worth a look.