Block Breaker Deluxe

The classic Block Breaker game is back with a fresh new look and lots of new N-Gage goodies this time around. Much more polished than the original, and even the sequel. For anyone familiar with the paddle style games will get a real kick out of this one. With several locations each containing ten levels and a boss level, a ping-pong-like tournament, dozens of paddle and ball upgrades, and a slew of challenging N-Gage point pickups, It's amazing this game only takes up a mere 5 MB of space on the phone.

I haven't had the chance to try the multiplayer mode via bluetooth, but I'm pretty sure it's much like the tournament level where you are basically playing "pong" with the other player. There's an option to change the screen orientation, as well as the key settings to your style of playing. I love all the high score stats that you can check out to see how well you have progressed through the game.

As for my favorite location, it would have to be the Coconut Casino where there are levels you can play mini versions of slot machine, poker, and craps for lots of cash. I just love it when I get poker chips raining down to catch with my paddle. Sometimes it makes me feel like I'm somewhere else when I play this game. Be careful though, this game will suck up your time as it is hard to put down when you get in to a rhythm.

The graphics aren't anything to wright home about, but are good enough to know what's going on. The music and sound effects are clean and cool (some block hits sound like forks tapping on wine glasses). Not much of an online presence with this game. Just the ability to upload your high scores. In fact, there's a Great Gameloft Giveaway Competition going on between April 21 and May 18 where you can submit your score for a chance to win very cool prizes. I really like how Nokia and Gameloft have teamed up for this event. It's a good marketing and distribution technique that will help N-Gage on the path to success.

Overall, it's a great paddle style game with lots of extras and many challenges. If there was a real-time online tournament mode I would have given it the fifth star. Even without that, the game shines pretty bright. Check out the video of the game in action.

Games To Go Rating: 4 out of 5