Pudding Panic Review

The main character of this game is named J. Jitters. While some might say that he looks more like JELL-O than pudding, JELL-O Panic just wouldn't have the same ring to it. Whatever you call your jiggling desserts, though, the little green fellow featured in this on the rails puzzler is called Jitters and he needs some help getting through a haunted train ride.

Jitters isn't particularly brave, even for a gelatinous dessert. If he gets scared too many times on the haunted train ride, he'll faint and fall out of his car. To get to the end of his ride he'll need to avoid witches, skeletons, and other frightening foes that creep along the tracks at every turn. Luckily Jitters can switch up track junctions to change the track directions and connections. This allows him to navigate through each level to avoid enemies and pick up tokens on his way to the exit. This is done by simply dragging a command from the game's menu to a junction to change it or turn it in a new direction.

When Jitters has collected enough tokens he can use them to turn the tables and scare his tormentors. He can use things like toy rats, snakes, and jack-in-the-boxes to scare his enemies off of the track. The enemies won't stay gone very long though, and many will return to torment poor Jitters until he exits the level. The action is usually very well paced and it is rare to feel out of control. The stages of Pudding Panic are complex and the action unfolds in real-time, but things are kept from getting too hectic because the action pauses when a junction change command is touched in the menu. The action remains paused until the command has been dragged and dropped onto the track junction. This saves the player from having to scramble too much for any last minute junction changes.

With 48 levels of haunted track, this game has some legs and it is well worth the price of admission. The environments are fun and engaging. For instance, the encouraging (and sometimes discouraging) painted signs that randomly pop up alongside the tracks are a charming little nod to the player and add a nice touch to the game's atmosphere.

Even if your not a fan of desserts that jiggle or haunted houses, this game is sure to have something to make you smile.