AstroPop Review

AstroPop is a conventional puzzle game, in the sense that it relies on the familiar mechanic of block-matching--in this case, you're attempting to make like-colored groups of four blocks or more, causing them to disappear and award you points. You've probably played games like this many times before...but you should make room for another one on your desktop, because AstroPop's gameplay and quality level are both exceptional. Your ship, which jumps from column to column at the touch of a mouse, can vacuum up anywhere from one to six blocks of the same color, attaching the stack to its prow. You can then discharge the blocks towards the top of the screen, setting off cascading combos if you hit the right spots. This game's many interesting specialty blocks--some power-ups, some hindrances, and others pernicious traps--add a lot of spice to the experience. So do AstroPop's cheerfully psychedelic visuals and pounding trance music soundtrack. AstroPop is one of the best block-matching games around, and the full version is worth a $20 investment.