VC: Super Mario Picross

The recent Hanabi festival saw the release of several high profile titles released in Europe that never saw the light of day outside of Japan. While many gamers will be reveling with the excellent titles of Sin and Punishment and Super Mario Brothers: The Lost Levels (sadly no longer available for download), there was another game that was made available which will have gone overlooked amongst the big hitters, and that game is Super Mario Picross.

For those who haven't encountered Picross before, the puzzle originates from Japan and goes under many names, from Picture Puzzle to Oekakai and you may have encountered those before in book stores or certain newspapers. Each puzzle is comprised of a grid not unlike that of a crossword with numbers beside each columns. These numbers tell you which squares need to be filled in and upon completion, the finished puzzle will resemble a picture. While it sounds complicated (and the mention of numbers is no doubt striking fear into maths phobics everywhere) it's incredibly simple to pick up and is more about patterns than the numbers themselves.

Super Mario Picross brings hundreds of these puzzles to your console, with the ability to use optional hints (where the computer will fill out two columns for you to show you how it's done) and sets those against the clock. Filling in an incorrect square will deplete seconds off your time (too many mistakes and it's game over) but the game eases you in gently before the difficulty ramps up. Despite the Japanese origin, the menus are in English, as is the main game, with the only Japanese link being the title screen and its query for optional hints.

In terms of presentation, Super Mario Picross is pretty lacking. The puzzles transform into coloured pictures when completed but are at times difficult to make out and they are missing any form of animation. Sound is also incredibly basic, getting on your nerves pretty quickly. And despite being linked with Mario, there is very little connection with the franchise within the actual puzzles. Yet despite the distinct lack of bells and whistles and any obvious connection with Nintendo, the puzzles are great fun to complete and have the ability to while away hours of your time. Few games offer the satisfaction of completing a difficult puzzle in quite the same way as Super Mario Picross.

While it is relatively expensive at 900 points (which still rankles considering the high prices of virtual console titles in comparison to the rest of the world but that's for another time) once you get the hang of it, Super Mario Picross is a thoroughly addictive puzzler that deserves a look and will last you some time to come.

4/5 -- Kim Wild