Space: Bust-A-Move
Ages: Everyone

Once again - I'm bustin' bubbles. This game, as they like to say in wine country, has long legs. Played it in 2000 on the GBA, then the following year on the PS2, used the remote to bust bubbles in 2007 and I guess , it time to play it with a stylus.

I always try the stylus option if there is one - I mean it is a touch screen machine. In this case the buttons work faster than the stylus - two fingers are better than one. The game is still to connect three or more bubbles to make them pop and disappear before the screen fills with bubbles down to the guide line. The story mode enriches the game a bit. Select a planet to explore, each one has a different background, and each planet has three stages of five rounds each. At the beginning you start on Earth. There are bubbles with various characteristics which adds more strategy the game. You want to get to the Cosmo bubble to use in the boss fight and that is pretty tricky, because you have to hit all the bubbles around it without hitting the Cosmo.

Versus play, when playing against one of the AI characters, has item bubbles containing tools to be used both to attack and to gain advantage. Points gained can be exchanged in the "Shop" for bubbles, or customizable designs. And there is the Endless mode where you play until you zone out or get "Game Over" - whichever is first.

Multiplayer consists of online Versus mode using either the DS Download Play or Nintendo WiFi Connection and can be done using only a SINGLE game card.

The game screen is more cluttered than it needs to be, which is a distraction. It is a challenge to work on the strategy of using the balls with different effects because the game moves so fast. One technique is to keep you eyes open for one or two of the special ones at first and then ramp up. If you already have a Bust-A-Move game, this one doesn't offer that much that's new.

Fun Factor: Not much different from the other Bust-A-Move games
Player Friendly: Good manual - shows step by step bubble action and mentions that saves and loads are automatic and lists all the bubbles, blocks and AI characters

Reviewed by: Editor - 08/09