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Video Game Review: Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

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By DOUG BUEL

TBO Extra correspondent

Published: March 12, 2009

System: Nintendo DS

Also available for: Windows PC (coming soon to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network)

Publisher: D3

Reviewer's rating: ***

ESRB rating: Everyone 10+

Game type: Puzzle with RPG elements

Kind of like: "Final Fantasy" but all the fighting is puzzles instead

Best feature: Weapons are a lot of fun.

Worst feature: It's rather similar to the previous "Puzzle Quest" game, except for the hexagonal nature of the puzzles.

The bottom line: "Puzzle Quest" is back, and this time in outer space.

In "Puzzle Quest: Galactrix," you journey around the galaxy confronting space pirates and other foes, helping the innocent along the way.

However, there's no space dogfighting here. The combat takes place in a puzzle game.

The game is a lot like the one in "Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords," except this time the board is hexagonal. On your turn, you choose two gems next to each other. They switch places, and any rows of three or more gems of the same color that you just created get removed. New gems file in to replace them.

Removing gems builds up energy, allowing you to use different weapons on the gems. One weapon, for example, destroys all the blue gems, which may cause a ton of rows to form as the remaining gems collapse together. Another weapon turns all purple gems red. And so on. Other weapons damage your opponent directly.

There are bombs on the grid, and lining them up causes them to explode and damage your enemy. The enemy is trying to do the same to you.

The game is a lot of fun, but as with the first "Puzzle Quest," it can be frustrating when you make a row and then bombs file in, conveniently placed for your opponent.

There are different resources to collect, and these allow you to build new weapons for you to use. You'll have to scour the galaxy in order to find what you're looking for. This game isn't short by any means.

Games are rated on a scale of zero to four stars.

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