FLOverload

Ever since shows highlighting the rogue nature of some of the country's tradesmen became prime time entertainment, I've raised a suspicious eye whenever I've come into contact with one of these fellows.

I'm not for a minute suggesting that any tradesmen reading now offer anything other than exemplary service, but it's the fact that I could quite easily get taken for a ride and not even realise it that bothers me.

And that's entirely my fault. While a plumbing course might not be my idea of a good night out, it could, in the end, save me a lot of bother and lessen the impact on my cheque book when the inevitable problems with my waterworks arise.

Could FLOverload be a nice half-way house, then? Teaching the basics of directing water flow without overloading me with technical jargon?

Perhaps. In truth, the only link FLOverload has with the plumbing trade is in its design, which sees us swapping bits of pipework around to ensure safe passage for an oncoming torrent of water.

Doing so involves revealing pieces of the pipework hidden behind squares set out in a grid pattern, simply by tapping on each square to uncover them. Pieces can then be swapped in amongst each other enabling you to reorder the map so water flows from one side to the other.

The exit and entry points are predetermined, so success relies on you managing to create a path between the two as the water begins to flow from left to right.

Said encroaching water acts as a clock, in effect, with the game coming to a close if the water reaches the end of your pipework before you've had a chance to connect it up, or you end up in a sticky spot, running out of usable pieces and backing yourself into a corner.

If any of this is sounding familiar, that's probably because you've played 2K's BioShock on Xbox 360 and PC last year - FLOverload is virtually a direct copy of the absorbing mini-game that came in that package, albeit DS Media Lab's attempt at an homage is a little rough around the edges.

For starters, the levels on offer simply aren't as adept. While the speed of the water flow gradually increases as each level passes, it's possible to jump straight to the toughest level from the off and complete it in seconds.

And that's one of the other faults - all the levels, of which there are on 25, are available from the word go. While that can be viewed in both a positive and negative light, with the developer choosing to offer all of its content from the start (even to those without the skill to get that far), it also takes the edge off proceedings.

Happen to get stuck on a particular level? What does it matter when you can skip straight to the one that follows anyway?

There's also the question of what to do once you've solved a puzzle. Rather than giving you the option to speed the water's passage once the path is in place, you have to sit and wait for the water to fill all the tubes before you can move on - a somewhat frustrating wait once you've frantically got all the pieces in place.

That said, not all of the play is quite so straightforward, with unmovable blockers - in the form of squares with mini explosions drawn on them - being unearthed underneath some of the squares.

Stuck in place as they are, these blocks have to be avoided, which can often mean a complete change of route being in order even if you're already half way towards your goal. Treats lie in store too, with both wallets and diamond rings hidden underneath some of the squares adding points and stop clocks holding back the water for a brief period of time.

Nevertheless, despite these bonuses, there's still a feeling that not all the pieces have fallen into place here, and DS could do with making a subtle change or two over the coming months to turn this into the finished article it appears, on the surface, to be.

As it is, it's a fair little ditty for £1.19/$1.99, but it's still hard to escape the feeling that this isn't just another plumber taking us for a ride.