RoboSockets Review

RoboSockets combines Tetris, Pipe Mania and Bejeweled making what in theory should be the ultimate puzzle game for any fan of the genre. It's very good fun too. The sort of fun that means you start playing for five minutes over your lunch break and the next minute, an hour has gone and you've forgotten to eat anything.

As always, the premise is simple. You have to match up the relevant robots that are coming down the screen. The twist lies in the pipe side of things. You have to ensure that the pipes (or sockets) line up with each other so that five robots are connected to each other, thus clearing them from the board. It's a very simple idea but does take a bit of forward planning. Not all the robots have many sockets available so you can accidentally block yourself in. As well as that, some robots don't have any sockets at all making them a useless eye sore on the screen, but you still need to accommodate them somewhere. It's not that complicated but it involves enough thought that you feel more involved with the game and you focus more so than just with a regular Match Three game. Other types of robots also appear such as ones that can shove pieces to the side, or a bomb that clears a path.

Once you've acquired enough energy by clearing enough robots, it's onto the next level. It's all quite simple really but done in a way that feels original and compelling. Along the way you can pick up various fun facts about RoboCivilization too which is a nice touch and ties in nicely with the basic storyline, plus of course those all important Game Center achievements.

At only 99c, it'd be silly not to buy RoboSockets. It offers a great new take on a tried and tested format. All I'd like to see added to it would be an Endless mode which would add some longevity to the title but a Time Attack mode goes some way to solving this.