“Zuma? You have never heard of Zuma?”

“No, James I have not”

“Well I got a copy of Zuma’s Revenge to Review and I’m off on holiday…bye!”

So, yeah. That’s was my Tuesday night.

So the back story I can glean from the game is that you’re a frog on a raft and are cast away and wash up on a Hawaii-like island inhabited with evil Tiki heads. They set devious traps to eat you and it’s your job to foil them. If you have a problem with the back story then why do you play computer games?

Zuma’s Revenge is the sequel to Zuma (no, seriously) a highly popular ball shooting puzzler for the PC, mobile phone and download networks for consoles. The aim of the game is to shoot coloured balls out of the mouth of your frog to the waiting lines of coloured balls eager to enter the mouth of a golden skull. If they enter the skulls mouth, you’re toast. Three matching balls makes them disappear and keeps you going that little bit longer.

It’s not all about matching up ball colour and making them disappear. Coloured balls immerge with patterns on them given you upgrades such as blowing up a part of the line or having a laser target system or firing multiple demolition balls.  Allot like all game of this genre the most frustrating aspect is the random order the game feed you balls. Just when you need a blue ball it gives you yellow, red it gives you green and then out of nowhere it starts churning out colours you haven’t seen before. Purple where the hell did purple come from!?!

The game gives you five areas, four to unlock. Each island area has 10 levels and a boss battle. Eh? Boss battle in a puzzle game? Oh, yes! Tiki headed bosses who you have to shoot with balls. And they work very well. Each level has a different track pattern for the balls to make their way around and each time the game throws something at you that you haven’t seen yet and it always keeps you guess.

The feeling when a level starts and dozens of balls roll out along the track set the tone and tension and instantly the game is on. Firing different coloured balls to make the same coloured balls disappear sounds basic, and it is but it’s so much fun. The sounds and graphics of the game are great. Simple, clear and clean. Don’t expect advanced 3D graphics with a puzzler but Zuma’s Revenge looks excellent . The environments you play in are great looking and have some great detail worked into them

Zuma’s Revenge boosts a lengthy story mode that is satisfyingly on its own but also a challenge mode with dozens of unlockable challenges to be had. This game will last you some time and hoping to complete it quickly (say, for a review on deadline) is near impossible. I could only sample each mode for a few days before I had to finish up but, wow. For the price, it’s a steal.

Multiplayer would have been great as my girlfriend loomed over me as I played, jumping from foot to foot in impatience to have a go. She got a go and is now impossible to get her off the PC (Popcap Games, you owe me a new PC…or girlfriend). I can’t help but think that with all the inventive features in the game that a two people at the same keyboard system could have been done or internet it with a friend.

Have you ever used Stumble Upon? If you have you know the Stumble Upon addiction of “just one more website before bed” and before you know it its three in the morning. This game is like that in terms of addition. If you lose a level it just makes you more determined to beat it. I can feel myself jonesing for a go on it now and you know you got it bad when all you can think about at work is getting home and playing it. Might pull a sick day.

This game is one of the best puzzlers released in a long time. It’s easy to learn but you can’t ever master it. It’s as much about reflexes and observation as much as forward planning. It’s a tense battle between the luck of the draw with what coloured balls you’re given and the slowly moving line eating away your chances of winning. As puzzlers go this is superb, well balanced and fun with almost infinite replay value. Available now from Popcap Games. Reviewed on the PC. “James I’m not going to be work today…because my Grandma is sick…”

93/100