Sudoku Gridmaster, Magnetica Miss the Mark
Ack! We’ve got a whole set of reviews lined up for you, arranged in no particular order. We’ll start off with two Nintendo DS Games that don’t quite hit the level of previous Truly Obscure favorites (like, say, Brain Age).
Sudoku Gridmaster attempts to capitalize on the Sudoku craze, and there is nothing wrong with that- except that Brain Age did a better job in many ways, and gave you plenty more to do. Sure, there are 400 puzzles here, way more than in Brain Age. And you get four levels of difficulty. However, we found the handwriting recognition to be a little bit less accurate in Gridmaster, and the display a little less clear. Further, you have to erase prior guesses when you enter a final answer- minor, but annoying nonetheless. Basically, Gridmaster has more puzzles, but is less friendly- if you really need more Sudoku and for some reason can’t stand paper or pens, then go for it. Others, spend your gaming dollars ($20) elsewhere.
Magnetica doesn’t fall to any similar simple flaws- this puzzle game offers more options than you might want, and there aren’t any frustrating interface issues. However, it does get pretty repetitive, and the sound and soundtracks grow annoying quickly. For those in need of a kind of loopy Tetris, which requires quite a bit of concentration and some really fast hand-eye coordination, look no further. Simple to learn, easy to play (look, ma, no buttons!), Magnetica is a decent puzzle game that just can’t break through the fact that so many similar games are available free for the PC, and that it offers little more than a ($30) variation on a theme.
