Fix the Leaks

If you've already stuffed Cut the Rope's Om Nom with enough candy to whip a bus full of children into a frenzy then maybe it's time to feed slime to some furry, limbless critters.

It's more fun than it sounds. While Fix the Leaks has a lot in common with Cut the Rope, it still manages to be its own creature.

Fix the Leaks takes place in the lab of a zany scientist who invents a machine that produces goo. Presumably, the goo is meant to aid humankind somehow, but the machine springs leaks before the scientist is able to build his goo-topia.

Luckily, he owns some Tribble-like monsters that love to chow down on the slime. All you need to do is guide them to the leaks, since they lack hands and feet.

Fix the Leaks is a physics-based puzzle game that provides you with ropes, pulleys, balloons, walls, sliding platforms, and other objects and obstacles that help you get the job done.

Each stage presents you with at least one goo leak that must be plugged up using monster power. Sometimes the fix involves drawing a rope from a pulley to a monster.

Sometimes you need to tie monsters together so they form a weighted chain. Sometimes you need to draw a rope between pulleys so that your monster(s) can tumble down onto the leak and stop it.

It's fun to start a new level and chart out your moves before you make them. If you fail, no worries: you can try again. In fact, a little trial-and-error will get you through Fix the Leaks in no time, especially since you're allowed to move on to a new level if you plug one leak. You can return and plug all the leaks in a level to achieve an 'expert' score.

Fix the Leaks is clearly inspired by Cut the Rope, but instead of cutting rope, you construct with rope. Granted, there's still some rope-cutting involved - levels occasionally try and wrong-foot you by setting up bridges that you don't actually need.

For the most part, though, you're tasked with creating instead of destroying. It's a small difference, but it helps give Fix the Leaks its own identity.

There are some mats in the monsters' fur, however. For all of Fix the Leaks's neat ideas, it's still another physics-puzzler in a very crowded genre.

You progress level-by-level at a steady pace while the challenges gradually become more difficult. Its a pleasant experience, but nothing about it will make your eyes jump out of your skull and declare, "What a twist!"

Fix the Leaks's basic graphics and sound effects don't help it to stand out, either. The backgrounds are sparse, and the gushing goo makes a generic trickling sound. To be fair, the monsters do break out some cute facial expressions when they successfully plug up a leak.

Speaking of the monsters, here's a thought: they're supposed to eat the goo that comes out of the wall, yet you never see them attach their mouths to the leaks. They merely plug the deluges with their backsides, look you in the eye, and grin. Where is that goo going?

Fix the Leaks should keep you decently entertained if you're into physics-based puzzle games. It has some good ideas, and it's worth a play if you're a big fan of feeding monsters. If, however, you've had your fill of candy, ropes, critters, and the rest of it, these little furballs will probably feel too familiar.