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Many games are simply great due to an addictive element. Diablo started the character building addiction, whereas simple flash games (such as Bejewelled) work on the simple yet time consuming addiction. Infinite Interactive have taken these two elements and mashed them together to give us Puzzle Quest, one of the most recent addictions known to man.

In Puzzle Quest, your character (choice of four classes) roams a mythological world full of demons and monsters, set to become the land’s greatest hero. In the city of Bartonia, you start by doing simple missions for the Queen in an attempt to make a living. Naturally, the evil-doers of the land don’t agree with your benevolent actions and waylay you as often as possible.

Enemy attacks are what brings us to the puzzle part of the game. A grid of 8x8 squares with various type gems and stones will appear and moves are taken to match 3 or more in a line. Very much Bejewelled. However, each character has HP and a variety of skills and spells which they can use to catastrophic effect. Spells are cast using mana, gained by matching colored gems on the board, while damage can be dealt by matching skulls.

Battling, however, is only half the fun. As you roam the world and open more areas via quests, you can also improve your home castle with buildings, siege other castles for plunder and gather runes to forge godlike items. You’ll come across a vast array of enemies in your travels, some of which you can capture to learn spells or use as a mount (increasing various skills dependant of the creature). To capture a creature, you are presented with a set puzzle using a limited amount of pieces, and you must eliminate a whole board to take control of your new ‘friend’. You also gain gold to spend in shops or on skill points, as well as milking experience points from quest and creature alike in an attempt to gain that extra level.

The game has varying degrees of multiplayer, depending on which system you own. Already a smash hit on PSP and DS, the game was recently released on Xbox Live Arcade and is set to be released on PC and possibly the Playstation Network in the future. Multiplayer battles can be fantastic or frustrating, as characters utilise their skills and items with reckless abandon.

In terms of the different systems, the DS would have to be the better in terms of controlling. The stylus is ideal for moving pieces around the board, allowing quick and succinct movements to dazzle the enemy. Graphically, the handhelds do suffer a little, especially against the juggernaut 360 console. That’s not to say they are bad, far from it.

Honestly, my only main gripe with the game would be the repetitive music, but that’s easily turned off. Supplying your own soundtrack is highly suggested. Really though, graphics and visuals are nothing compared to this game’s addictive gameplay. Go play it. Now.

9/10