Block Breaker Deluxe 2 (iPhone)

The high tide of Breakout clones crashing onto the blue ocean of iPhone gaming has begun to ebb, but not before cresting with Block Breaker Deluxe 2. Atari's own finds serious competition in this flashy block busting title that proves old gameplay mechanics can find new life with touch controls and a high resolution screen. While you won't encounter any dramatic innovations, enough additions have been made to keep these waters fresh.

At its core, the game sticks to the classic Breakout formula by granting control of a platform for deflecting a small bouncing ball on the screen. The goal is to break every block to complete each stage, which is often easier stated than actually done. Some blocks require multiple hits, others are permanent fixtures, and intricate formations pose a real challenge in clearing the screen.

Sliding your finger along the bottom of the screen or tilting the handset (when the accelerometer option is toggled) enables you to position the pad. The accelerometer fares well, although we prefer using the touchscreen for control since it allows for greater precision and responsiveness.

Power-ups and power-downs bring dimension to the game. Red items recovered from broken blocks offer negative effects such as reducing the width of your platform or causing you to instantly lose a life. Blue power-ups benefit you with protective shields, missiles for destroying groups of blocks, and even multiple balls bouncing across the screen.

Through the course of the single-player campaign (entitled 'Quick Play' for some odd reason), you can also pick up various bonus items that add cash to your coffers. This money then gets spent on upgrades such as lengthening the time power-ups have an effect, increasing their potency, etc. Working through the more than 60 single-player stages also makes it possible to unlock eight extra modes.

Specific to iPhone is a two-player cooperative mode available right from the start. Using one device, you and a pal have control over your own pads located on opposite sides of the screen. No accelerometer support in this option, for obvious reason, leaving control dependent on slides of your fingers. The goal lies in clearing as many blocks and earning mountains of points, which is enjoyable enough and instils extra value that other competing titles simply don't have.

Block Breaker Deluxe 2 washes onto iPhone after its initial debut on mobile this last spring, which is to say the presentation has been completely overhauled. The larger screen offers greater opportunity for slick visuals and that has definitely been seized. Colourful, highly detailed, and brimming with loads of impressive special effects, this is easily the best-looking puzzler on the device.

Pretty graphics aren't enough to justify spending a few bucks on a game, let alone one that faces stiff competition from dozens of other titles but Block Breaker Deluxe 2 rises to the top by virtue of its immense value and unparalleled quality. This doesn't feel like a hackneyed clone. Great graphics float on a foundation of energetic, varied block-breaking gameplay that is a far cry from being an disappointing copycat.