Kwirk

"Pretty fun puzzle game that can appeal to more than just puzzle fiends."

Sometimes it's the simple things that are the most fun. Kwirk is a simple puzzle game that can be and is addicting. With three types of ways you can play, you just might keep it forever.

Story: 1
You're a tomato man and you have to rescue your girlfriend who is a tomato woman.

...

Gameplay: 8
As stated above, there are three types of games you can play. One game mode is called ''Going Up,'' which consists of you playing through 3 towers each with ten floors. You can skip floors and go back to floors if you wish. To beat each level, you must get to the stairs by pushing blocks, filling holes with blocks and pushing turntables. Sometimes you have friends to help you (other various vegetable men) and you must get them all up the stairs to win. Going Up is very fun to play when you want to kick back and relax.

''Heading Out,'' on the other hand, is fun when you want a puzzle game that requires quick thinking and good dexterity. Instead of going up stairs, you run through each puzzle room to get to the other side. The faster you beat the level, the more points you get. If you're too slow, you don't get any points at all. Rooms you get playing Heading Out are random. It'll take a while before they start repeating, so you will be able to play Heading Out for a long time.

VS Mode pits you against someone else with the game in a Heading Out race.

Graphics: 7
Nothing special, but do the job. There are two playing views in the game, which is very interesting. One view looks at the rooms straight from the top, the other a little slanted. The slanted view has better graphics (walls are shadowed, for instance).

Sound/Music: 7
The sound of Kwirk walking can get on your nerves, but the other sound effects are just fine. The music is nice, but not memorable.

Control: 10
You can't go wrong when all you have to do is use the direction pad. In Going Up, you can take back mistakes and also completely start over if you want. You can also press Select to scroll through your veggie buddies. In Heading Out, you can only start a room over.

Replay Value: 8
There aren't a huge amount of puzzles in the game, but they get quite challenging when you play the medium and hard ones, which means you'll be playing for quite a while unless you have an IQ of 180. Even then, you can still play VS Mode, which is a different game almost every time.

Bottom Line?
Kwirk is a great time killer and a fast paced action puzzler at the same time. Whichever you want, this game will give it to you. Kwirk makes using your brain a very enjoyable experience, which is why I give it an 8.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/06/01, Updated 07/06/01