Ah… I remember the first handheld system I owned – the first Game Boy. The several shades of green and black graphics, the novelty of having several different games to play on a screen no bigger than the palm of my hand, and, of course, perhaps the most addictive puzzle game of all time: Tetris. I wracked up quite a large amount of time playing the original Russian enigma on every level -  the reward of seeing the Space Shuttle blasting off (only seen when you won at the most difficult level) becoming commonplace.

Now, I revisit the blissful hours of fast paced piece placing, with a new twist, a form of “combat Tetris” if you will. Don’t let that comparison fool you into thinking Fortress is just another Tetris clone – because it has more to offer. Placing your pieces is only the beginning….

In Fortress, you can play against the computer or against another player through a link-up in one of four settings: Prehistoric, Medieval, Pirate, or Space. Your goal? Successfully constructed pieces will create walls and towers, while pieces that would normally be squares in Tetris appear as weapons, defensive/repair units, or bombers. You need to build and fortify your fortress of choice as quickly as possible in order to inflict the most possible damage on your opponent and to keep your own fortress in good repair.

Walls and towers are determined by the way you place your pieces. Once you place pieces to create something larger than a 2x3 grid of squares (like Tetris, little squares make up the main shape), you can form a wall section. If you construct something of the 3x8 size, you create a truly useful little structure – a tower – from which large offensive “monsters” (ufos, dragons, giant parrots) can be summoned to wreak havoc on your opponents fortress.

If you do not use your pieces to create wall sections of towers, they remain in their “grid” form, and this is not a good circumstance for this will leave your structure vulnerable to attack. If the enemy bombers hit these pieces, they become “RUBBLE” and any type of pieces you try to place atop the rubble will also become rubble. This is where the Twerps come in.

Twerps are your offensive and defensive pals in your fight to build and maintain your fortress. As mentioned before, these units will come in the form of a square. You will have a choice, as some of the pieces fall, to make your garrison one for either attack of repair Twerps. Some squares, Bombers, will be a one time kamikaze-type Twerp in which you can target your opponent’s castle for an area of heavy damage.

There is a very slight learning curve to Fortress, but once you play the game on “Easy” and take some time to watch your computer opponent’s strategy – you sort of get the knack for the game. From that point on it’s all about how fast you can get your pieces into place. It sometimes seems as if your opponent moves unnaturally fast – which was aggravating at first, but then again, I’m glad it wasn’t so easy that I didn’t have a goal to work toward.

Graphics wise, Fortress is simple, but not in any way sub-par. The intro and some of the summoned “monsters” are crisp and clear. It’s made to be a puzzle game, not a dazzling eye candy action or adventure – so there is obviously less variety that some genres. There’s a negotiable bit of slowdown when the screens get really packed. The sound is nothing spectacular with one theme song for each level and some suitable sound effects, but once against pretty much typical for the genre.

Replay-ability? Well this will largely depend on what kind of games you enjoy. Obviously, if you are not a big Tetris-puzzle-type game player, you probably won’t enjoy this title once you’ve won all the levels. With only three game modes [battle, blitz (which includes more weapons), and tournament (two-player)], the player who seeks a large variety may relegate this title to the shelf sooner than they would like. Also, there is the overall feeling that you wished a little more had been added overall to increase the overall value of the title – aside from the couple staple changes to gameplay, the visuals changes are purely surface and there is not much variety to the different levels.

All in all, Fortress is a sure win for those handheld players who occasionally like to spend a few hours whittling away at a hopelessly addictive and seemingly otherwise infernally simple puzzle game. It’s a cute and solidly built game whose only downfall is that it may not appease a long-term appetite for many gamers.

Gameplay: 7

Fortress is a game for puzzle gamers – and it won’t hold lasting appeal for any other kind pf player. The actual game play does not change depending on the setting – the four different settings all play exactly the same way – there are just different names and looks for the same elements. Non-puzzle or non-Tetris fans may not remain interested in the title once they’ve won each of the settings.  

Graphics: 7
There’s a cute cartoony feel to Fortess, and the graphics are clear and pretty much what you’d expect for a puzzle type game, as well as an early GBA title.

Sound: 6
The music and sound effects for Fortress are pretty simple and the basic essentials.  

Difficulty: 8
The difficulty is geared well enough that you do not get immediately discouraged. You will probably play the Easy level the first couple times to get the hang for the strategy and then move on to win each as your skills improve.

Concept: 7
Fortress is, at it’s core, combat Tetris  in a very cute packaging. It adds enough new elements to keep it from feeling like a remake of the classic, and it holds the same potential to be addictive to the right players.

Multiplayer: 7
There is one multi-player option where you can link up against a friend and play against them instead of the computer.  

Overall: 7
Fortress is a fun game and will undoubtedly please quite a few gamers who fall into the niche market - it will probably not convert people who would not normally play Tetris-puzzle games. Just like Tetris, I found myself losing a few hours in a mad obsession to beat the next level. The biggest factor in how much you will love (or hate) this title depends on whether or not you feel that the title holds enough long-term bang for its buck.