KLAX is a puzzle game that was meant to capitalize on Columns and Tetris. It now has a large fan base of the gamers who fell in love with this game in the 90's! It's unique, because unlike in most puzzlers you are dealing with one tile at a time in a different way other than sliding down the screen or bouncing up to similar pieces. It doesn't even require knowing shapes or working with a three or four grouped structure. Nope, this game is all on its own as no one has ever tried imitating or restructuring it. That's part of the reason this game is so fun.

A major reason why this game is so fun, though, is its sheer simplicity. It was made with all gamers in mind, which makes it great. The man who designed it wanted it as small, simple and playable as possible. In simplest terms (no pun intended) this game plays out like a cross of Columns and Tic-Tac-Toe, and it gets the same addicting play as in most puzzle games. Though simple, the game has its complexities which stand out in a great way, altering your score, providing level warps and special opportunities. We'll get to those in a second.

Be sure to catch each of the rolling tiles on your plunger! This should be your top priority, as failing to do so will cause you to lose the game quickly. As you stack, drop the tiles below to form groups of three or more tiles of the same color in either horizontal, vertical or diagonal manner to form a KLAX and gain points depending on complexity and number of tiles.

Graphic and sound wise, this game is a little lacking. It was meant to be small so it could be very affordable and fun, so don't expect pretty colors and explosions such as ones you'd find in Mean Bean Machine or Columns 3. The sound is actually pretty good for being a puzzler. Each tile color, as it rolls, makes a unique noise, and every object, plunger and all, makes some sort of noise. Even different score types have different noises. They are all fun, but what the game really is missing is MUSIC. There isn't any to be found, and with some of the creative music you hear in puzzle games, it's a disappointment. Everyone has the Tetris theme stuck in their head, but will never have a KLAX theme to hum.

One big thing this game lacks, and it's a real bummer, is 2-player. You can't challenge a friend unless you keep your hi-score. That's a real drag considering how awesome it would have been to be able to dump tiles on them. One other thing, the plunger, at times, seems to be sticky and doesn't want to move fast enough. This can become very annoying in later levels or when you want to pull off a complex combination. With these minor flaws, KLAX still doesn't lack and is a great pleasure to play. Pick it up if you have a few hours to burn!

KLAX, KLAXes up a score of 8 out of 10.

KLAX originally was meant to challenge Tetris, whereas when this one was released in 1999, was more meant to be a nostalgic look at the competition and to remind its fans that KLAX was still KLAXXING. In the 90's the slogan was, "It's the 1990's, there's finally time to KLAX," now the message reads "It's the new millennium, there's time to.." It's unique, because unlike in most puzzlers you are dealing with one tile at a time in a different way other than sliding down the screen or bouncing up to similar pieces. It doesn't even require knowing shapes or working with a three or four grouped structure. Nope, this game is all on its own as no one has ever tried imitating or restructuring it. That's part of the reason this game is so fun.

A major reason why this game is so fun, though, is its sheer simplicity. Just like its console counterparts, this game was kept small, fast and easy! It was made with all gamers in mind, which makes it great. When redesigning this game they wanted to keep the simplicity and basics that kept the game fun on larger screens! They also wanted to to be able to pick up and play for a short time. Boy did they ever get it right! In simplest terms (no pun intended) this game plays out like a cross of Columns and Tic-Tac-Toe, and it gets the same addicting play as in most puzzle games. Though simple, the game has its complexities which stand out in a great way, altering your score, providing level warps and special opportunities are all still here. We'll get to those in a second.

Be sure to catch each of the rolling tiles on your plunger! This should be your top priority, as failing to do so will cause you to lose the game quickly. As you stack, drop the tiles below to form groups of three or more tiles of the same color in either horizontal, vertical or diagonal manner to form a KLAX and gain points depending on complexity and number of tiles. This can be a bit more challenging on the smaller screen, as was with most games translating from TV to portable screens, but keep a vigilant eye and you shouldn't have any kind of problems! Thankfully nothing has been lost, including warps, platform and plunger size and special stipulations to each level!

Graphic and sound wise, this game is definitely lacking. Developing smaller creativity ended up making some themes look messy and hard to distinguish where exactly your tiles are. The colors also tend to not be as vibrant as, say, what you'd find in Tetris color. Even though the graphics are a bit rough, at least the attempt to keep all the colors and themes can be very much appreciated! The sounds are roughly loud as well. They still retain the individual tile charm, but each one on the screen at a time is annoying quickly. So much so I played on mute. The scoring sounds and voices are also rough and at times ear-shattering when pulling off combos! Sadly this game is still missing MUSIC! There isn't any to be found, besides the main screen, which is kind of catchy and shows what could have been! It's still a big disappointment, because everyone has the Tetris theme stuck in their head from the game boy, but will never have a KLAX theme to hum.

One of the tings plaguing the console versions was no multi-player. Fortunately on such a small screen and such a cult following for this game, playing 2-player would be ridiculous! One other thing, the plunger, at times, seemed to be sticky and didn't want to move fast enough. This has surprisingly been fixed for this portable version, feeling rather smooth on the system! Really, this version made me feel right at home with a puzzler on a portable device, which the puzzle games seem to horde on. This was very refreshing and enjoyable despite its horrid sounds and very few missing items from console versions, almost none of which most people will run into! KLAX is insanely addicting on this system and will keep you playing. Pick it up if you have a day to burn!

KLAX, KLAXes up a score of 9 out of 10.