Picross DS

"Awesome concept at an unbeatable price!"

Picross. The game that beats Sudoku twice over easily. A mixture of Sudoku, Minesweeper and Crosswords all in one. This game is so addicting that once you start you just can't stop.

Picross is a game where you use the numbers given to you, to correctly fill in the right squares on a board, thus gradually building a picture. The numbers tell you how many squares must be filled in side by side. You can also fill in crosses which tell you that it is impossible for a square to be filled, which drastically helps you in later stages.

The game starts off really easy, which is great because it helps you understand how to play. There is also a tutorial which explains the rules. Gradually, the puzzles get larger and more difficult. Some of the pictures they form look great and give you a satisfying feeling inside, when you get to see the full colour version on the top screen.

The game easily has way over 200 puzzles to solve. Other than that, there is also a Wi-Fi mode which allows you to go head to head with somebody around the world to see who can solve the puzzles quicker. The Wi-Fi is quick and easy, and completely lag free. You can also download more puzzles from Nintendo, or from your friends, or even create your own and let your friends download them from you.

There is also a Daily Picross mode which works a bit like Brain Training, in the sense that your score is saved once a day, and a graph is formed showing improvements you may be making over the weeks.

The one and only small and insignificant downside to this title is the fact that on the larger puzzles, you are forced to zoom in (if you use stylus controls), which can be really off putting. However, the button controls work perfecly, and believe it or not they feel even more natural, so this isn;t a problem at all.

Overall, Picross is a great concept and an awesome puzzle game, and at a low price it is pretty much a must buy, unless you absolutely hate puzzles.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/06/07