It seems like just yesterday that Alexey Pajitnov unleashed Tetris upon the world, and here we are, 25 years later and is it still as stupidly addictive and challenging as it was on the Game Boy? Yes, yes it is.

Tetris Party is one of the second most expensive WiiWare title at the time of writing, charging 1,200 Points rather than the standard 1,000 for a 'proper' game, but it more than justifies the price tag. The Main Menu immedietely shows that the game has a huge amount to offer. The single player introduces brand new modes, such as one where you position Tetrominoes to help a little man climb to the top of the screen, and another where you move and rotate a Tetronimo through a tunnel and reach the finish line in the fastest time possible. However, there's no denying that these modes aren't much cop at all, and you'll be bored of them almost instantly. The only real replay value in the single player side of the game is the classic Marathon mode, here in all its simple yet challenging glory. Think you're among the world's Tetris elite? With online leaderboards, you can prove it! (or show the world that you're actually all bark and no bite)


The online multiplayer is also very impressive, with many modes to choose from and customisable rules to ensure the ideal online experience. My one gripe in this area is that the opponent selecter is, to be blunt, broken. I changed the search filter to 'World', and I drew the same opponent four times in a row. Now, it may be that this fellow was the only other player playing, but of all the people who have downloaded it, I refuse to believe that he was the only one on on a Saturday evening. Seems a tad unlikely, doesn't it.

Regardless, there is a lot of fun to be had online, all the more so with tournaments, which let you take on the world and show them your mean block rotating prowess. There aren't any in progress at the moment, but Hudson Soft. assures players that there are more to come in the near future.


There's even a Balance Board mode chucked in for those Wii Fitters who are pondering what to do with their white slab of joy, although it is a bit gimmicky, and squatting to rotate means that by level 8, your knees will be on fire and you'll be sweating from head to toe. Isn't Tetris supposed to be a mental workout? And, just to make sure everybody is catered for, there's a Beginner's mode included for good measure, which is on a smaller grid and is designed to appeal to Tetris newcomers. Yes, both of them.

Graphically, marks have to be knocked off for the lack of 16:9 compatibility, but it's not a total disaster, it just would have been nice. Everything else is sound, although sometimes on larger screens, the colours can blend together, and you can mistake gaps in your stack for filled tiles, and it can really mess up your game.

However, one area where you cannot possibly mark down the game, is the sound. The original Tetris theme is back, re-orchestrated and re-mastered, along with multiple other tunes (although you really won't want to change from the classic melody). The sound effects are clean and pleasant, although they don't form much of the game's aural atmosphere.

If you can overlook the gimmicks and lacklustre attempts to beef up the game, then you will discover that this is easily the best incarnation of Tetris yet. It's incredible that 25 years of line clearing hasn't left a wrinkle on the gameplay, and it still remains as fun and addictive as ever. In my opinion, the best game on WiiWare, period. Yes, above the mighty World of Goo.*

FINAL SCORE
92%

Again, for online play, here's my Friend Code:
1032-8834-3684

Thanks for reading,
Ruairi

*I have since played Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, and I can confirm that that is better.