Ultra Bust-A-Move

The puzzle-game robber barons behind this ubiquitous franchise stopped numbering these things years ago: Although this is the inaugural Xbox outing for Bust-A-Move, it��s actually more like Bust-A-Move 37. You��d expect this simple game of aiming and matching like-colored bubbles to feel awfully flat by now, yet amazingly, the bubble-popping action here remains refreshingly effervescent.

Series vets will quickly blow through the simple arcade mode in 30 minutes, but developer Taito wisely adds several new single-player modes, cleverly twisting the formula. All three devilishly wreak havoc on your expectations. Seesaw mode slaps violent physics onto the board, tilting the playfield to the left or right as you place bubbles there. Blind mode forces you to shoot bubbles into an unknown minefield of masked colors, infusing serious unpredictability into the mix. Finally, shot mode (which other recent versions have included) gives you one crucial, nerve-wracking shot to clear a stage. All of these variants require you to learn new techniques and strategies to succeed, ultimately adding hours of replay to an otherwise simple puzzler.

A slew of versus modes (with Xbox Live play��see sidebar) complement the gratifying solo play: The traditional versus mode joins two new contests (count and color modes) for even greater variety. While not as inventive as the single-player additions, these new styles offer a slower, more strategic style of play allowing for more move-and countermove between combatants.

Ultra Bust-A-Move��s tight, addictive gameplay succeeds with little help from its trappings: Busy backgrounds and dopey-looking characters combine to form a tacky pastel mess, and the soundtrack oscillates between innocuous light jazz and horror-show circus-themed music. Ugh.

Bubble Up Online

When you��re tired of all that monster fragging, you can relax in the pastel paradise of Ultra Bust-A-Move��s online play. Pop spheres in any of the game��s three versus modes, with full support for the Xbox Live communicator, friend lists, Xbox Live Aware, and real-time global rankings.

07 Out of ten

PUBLISHER: Majesco // DEVELOPER: Taito // PLAYERS: 1-2 // LIVE: Yes // MSRP: $19.99 // ESRB: E

Copyright © 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Xbox Nation.