In 1985, Alexey Pazhitnov created Tetris. Who would have thought he would inspire a whole new category of arcade and home video games? The plethora of puzzle games spawned after this addictive classic were varied and many. Since Tetris, few puzzle games stick out as being successfully unique and distinct with their own personality. There was Block-Out. There was Klax.

And then, there came.......

[insert dramatic music here]

Mr. Driller.




QUICK HISTORY

No one seems to be quite sure when the arcade version of Mr. Driller was released, but it seems to be isolated in the mid-late 1990s. In any case, the game was ported to the Playstation in 1999. It is also available for Dreamcast and Game Boy Color. A sequel to the game was released around February of 2001 called Mr. Driller 2. It's essentially the same game, but with harder levels and a two-player option.


THE OBJECT OF THE GAME

You play the role of a rather cute Mr. Driller. Your goal is to drill down as far as you can through a stack of colored tiles without running out of air, which you can replenish with 20% air capsules along the way. If two or more tiles of the same color are next to each other (either starting next to each other or if one falls to a spot next to another), they meld into one bigger tile. If four or more of the same color tile connect and fall, those tiles disappear. In addition to the colored tiles, there are brown X tiles which are harder to drill through and take away 20% of your air if you do (though they can disappear in groups of four or more like regular colored tiles).

Some basic rules of gravity function in the game - if you drill a large set of tiles beneath you, you fall until you hit solid ground. Similarly tiles above you fall until they "meld" with tiles of like colors or come to rest on solid ground. You cannot climb upwards except by one level.

You lose a life if you get squished by a tile from above or if you run out of air.


GAMEPLAY FEATURES

The controls are straightforward - you have a four-directional joystick and a button for drilling. The graphics are simple. The game has a "cute cartoonish" feel to it with bright colored tiles, upbeat music, and other cute sound effects.


PERKS TO THE HOME VERSION

In addition to the arcade version where your goal is to reach either 2500 or 5000 feet, the Playstation has two other features to it that help to make the game a bit more interesting. The first is a Survival Mode, where you have only one life and you drill as far as you can without dying. The second is a Speed Mode where you are provided with fixed scenarios and you are supposed to drill to the bottom for a record time. You can save high scores from all three modes.


LASTING POWER

The game is fun and addicting, but after a while it starts to get stale. How stale it gets depends on the individual gamer. For me, i don't get tired of it that easily, and even when I do, it doesn't take me more than a couple of days to want to play it again, even if it's just once. Not since Klax have I been this addicted to a puzzle game, but I could see others having fun with it for a couple of weeks or more and then getting bored, especially because there isn't a two-player version available.


PRICE

Because the game is old, it's not that hard to find cheap. When i did a search on mysimon.com, i found a copy for about $13 that someone was selling new on half.com. The most I'd pay for a new copy is $20.


OVERALL

It's a brilliant game, and it's been the cause of many sleepless nights. Although it can be monotonous, it's a definite must-try for puzzle game fans. If anything, drop by your local video store and rent it so you can experience it. The time and money will not be wasted.

Recommended: Yes