Qix 1990 By: Taito

Overview:

Qix is a very unique puzzle game. The gameplay is one of a kind and a lot of fun. Qix started as an arcade game and has since been ported to several different platforms. This port is a lot of fun.
The graphics look good, but of course this game doesn't need too much graphic detail. There are several enemies to watch out for, and strategies to choose from. The controls are easy to learn and responsive. The sounds are a little annoying, especially the sound it makes when you make a quick stix. The Qix itself sounds kinda cool, though. Overall I'd say this is a very unique, and fun game to play. Fair warning: this game is very addictive.

Directions:

The object of the game is to shade in a certain percentage of the square playing field, while dodging the Qix itself. The required percentage starts at 75, but will go up in later stages. The Qix is an entity that appears to be made out of lines. He bounces around the board randomly, and if he touches you or your "stix" while you are drawing it, you will blow up. You start with three lives, and can get extra ones every ten thousand points.
A stix is a line that you draw to box in the Qix. If you draw a stix from one side of the playing field to the other, the smaller half, or the half without the Qix, will be shaded in. Or, if you just section off a small portion, it will be shaded in. There are two types of stix you can draw: quick stix, and slow stix. Using quick stix is faster and safer, but if you make one with a slow stix, you get double the points.
The Qix itself is no threat as long as you are not drawing a stix. Other enemies include the Sparx, which will roam around the edges of the playing field, and if they touch you, you will lose a life. Sparx cannot travel up a stix that is still being drawn. There is a time meter at the bottom of the screen that will make additional Sparx come into play when it runs out. When it runs out the second time, it will make Super Sparx come into play that have the ability to travel up an unfinished stix. The last enemy to watch out for is the Fuse. If you are drawing a stix and sit still for a second, the end of your stix will start to burn like a fuse. If it catches you, you will explode. The moment you start to move again it will go away.
Go for bonus points by shading in more than the required percentage of the field. For every one percent you are over, you will get a bonus one thousand points. Also, in later stages, there will be two Qixes to deal with. If you can manage to split them with a stix, you will be awarded a "Splix Qix" and a multiplier applied to all future points earned for each Splix.