When I first saw Vetrix 2 for the first time, the premise of the game by connecting 3 blocks horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, seemed quite intriguing on the surface. What made this game even better though, was the high quality of development that went into the game, through not only having a somewhat simple puzzle concept, but at the same time, the attention to detail of adding characters, lots of stages and great music to enjoy while you play the game. Its not always easy to put all these elements into puzzle games, but not only was it done so excellently in this game, it was a very addicting and fun game as well.

When you first start up Vertrix 2, you can head over to the options menu, and start tweaking away with the controls, the game options, and even the sounds.  You can also preview the different sound effects and music, it's a handy feature that was great to see. Once you are ready, you have the option of playing single player, or if you have a friend you can also play using the same computer, or even via the internet.  You can plan out your challenges against your rival "friends" to see who can come out on top in this game. If you choose single player, you can choose practice to get a feel of the game, before you tackle tournament mode. Once you decide which mode you wish to pursue, you can choose your character.  There are several characters, each with their own special abilities which will be detailed later, and the stage you wish to play in (if you chose practice mode or 2 player mode).  After a verbal round of taunting by the characters, the action starts and you are on your way.

The object of the game is simply to connect 3 of the same coloured blocks. You can do this horizontally, vertically or diagonally as mentioned before. However, there are also possible combos, such as longer connections, shapes, and more. Too many to describe here, so I advise you check out the manual that comes with the game for an idea of what kinds of shapes and combos you can make. As you continue making different combos, you will eventually get the chance to use special abilities. What this means is that the little icon just below where the next bunch of blocks will flash, and a small sort of flashing block will appear. Maneuver this little thing to the left and you will get the opportunity to use one random ability, there are different colours and each one has a desired effect that can affect you or your opponent. For example using the blue coloured ability, will usually wipe away some blocks from your field, while using a yellow coloured ability will usually add a bunch of blocks to your opponents field.

However, the character you choose will have different abilities, both in the types they can use and how much it will have an affect on your field or opponents. For example, one character may be able to wipe away 5 rows of blocks, while another may only be able to wipe away only 2 rows, each character has different strengths, and its up to you to pick and choose which will aid you more in the game.

There are lots of levels to see in this game. What is also great is that each level has different block sets to use as well. So for the tropical level, you will get fruit blocks, while for the futuristic looking level, you will have robot blocks. It was great to see that different block sets were used for each level, not just the same block set for each one. While it does not affect the game play itself, its a nice visual feature that really adds to the game though. The backgrounds look quite nice, and each one takes on a different theme from underwater, to a haunted house, each one basically represents where a character is from, which is pretty nifty.

The characters themselves were a nice touch to the game, and they do happen to have a bit of speech in the game, from mainly taunting back and forth during the match, as well as some verbal comments before the match begins. Even though this is a small feature, its still a great feature to see being used in the game, and just goes to show you how much work the developers put into the game with all these backgrounds, characters and block sets. All around this is a fun game, and quite addicting once you start getting the hang of it. With so much to see and experience, this game will keep you occupied for quite some time if you put in the effort.

The only issue with the game that I had was its tough computer opponents. Even on an easy difficulty setting, these opponents are tough to beat and will definitely give you a challenge, especially if you're a puzzle veteran. The way they are able to come up with combos so quickly, is just mind boggling at times, just keep practicing and eventually you will defeat them.

Nevertheless this was a fantastic puzzle game and highly recommend it to anyone who is a puzzle fan or is just wishing for a game to challenge them in some way, look no further than this game. Vetrix 2 is the name; see it for yourself in action.