Blokus

Blokus – Say that over and over again and you might just get a funny tongue twister!

If you like Uno and Tetris then you will probably have a good understanding of how this game works. In a nutshell the object is simply smother the board with your pieces and in doing so block your opponents from putting down their pieces and doing the same to you. In a way this is a bit of a cat and mouse game. You have up to four players at a time, which can be CPU or human and they all take it in turn to place their piece down.

The best advice is be aggressive but also keep your wits about you and don’t get suckered as the opponents (even the easy AI) will catch you out and pull the rug from under your feet if you’re not careful!

The rules are straight forward enough. You take turns in placing your piece down. You can only place your pieces in squares which are not occupied by a piece already and it must be touching at the corners rather than directly beside the squares you already have taken. To block your opponent(s) piece, you must try to slot the piece in a way that prevents them from placing a piece down. By doing this you prevent them from scoring as much (or as easily) and swing the control of the board into your favour.

There are a few different modes open to you to keep you playing for quite a while. Story mode lets you improve your skills as you play on your own against the other three opponents or as a co-operative mission where you control two coloured teams against the other two and a head to head battle where it’s just one on one in a battle of wills. To win the game you must achieve the goals set at the beginning, which range from not finishing last to preventing an opponent from getting a certain number of points to finishing in first.

If you just want to have a free-play mode then you’re also able to select this as another gaming option. Lastly, you can have a multiplayer game where you can compete locally (e.g. Bluetooth) or against other players around the world. These options, combined with the entertainment value and challenges presented make this game a definite must have for anyone who enjoys puzzle games.

Rating: 91%

Positives

Extremely addictive and fun

Brightly coloured and clear layout

Pretty good controls

Negatives

Quite repetitive

The harder levels are very difficult which may frustrate some novice players

The rotating of blocks can be a little fiddly at times