A Game Boy system without Tetris would be like having a waffle without syrup: it's still a good, tasty breakfast, though not nearly as satisfying. To that end, THQ has released Tetris Worlds for the Game Boy Advance. Combining elements from Tetris Attack, Sega's excellent Columns series and of course, the original Tetris itself, Tetris Worlds expand the tried-and-true puzzler and makes it even better.

Tetris Worlds has many new features, the most noticeable being the block indicator at the bottom of the screen. The block indicator shows you where the block is going to fall before it lands. Wherever you move, the block indicator follows. This was a bit distracting at first because up until now, I had to judge where the blocks would fall with my own two eyes, as did everyone else. You might be wondering whether or not this takes away from the game's challenge: in some ways it does, but if block placement was the only thing that kept you from conquering Tetris, it wouldn't be worth playing. That's not what Tetris is about. You could be playing a perfect game -- place every brick on top of each other without failure or mistake -- and then suddenly, a brick that just won't fit in your perfect wall comes along, messing things up. Before you know it, the blocks are stacked out of order, barely connecting to each other, quickly leading to your demise. Yet, no matter how much you die, no matter how frustrating it gets, you still keep coming back for more. That's what makes the Tetris series so great. Tetris Worlds is no exception.

There are six variations of the game; Classic Tetris, Sticky Tetris, Fusion Tetris, HotLine, Square Tetris and Cascade Tetris. Really though, I think it was a mistake for THQ to call them "variations," because they're something more than that. When I think of variations, I'm reminded of the hundreds of slot machines in Hoyle Casino 2002. I'm also reminded of Tiger and Anna Williams from Tekken 3. But the six Tetris variations are very unique and mostly original. Fusion Tetris, for example, throws the "clear as many lines as possible" rule out the window, and replaces it with Atom Blocks. Atom Blocks are small, single-squared blocks that must be connected with the Fusion Block buried beneath the Garbage (gray-colored blocks that are already there before the level begins). You must wipe out the gray blocks by clearing lines just as you would in a normal game of Tetris, then connect the Atom Blocks to the Fusion Blocks below. Here's the catch: for however many Fusion Blocks there are, you must connect twice as many Atom Blocks. The Fusion Blocks increase by one every level, so at level 12 (there are 15 in all), you'll have to connect 24 Atom Blocks! This by far my favorite mode in the game. It's extremely addictive and will keep you glued to the Game Boy Advance until you've beaten it.

Sticky Tetris is pretty basic. The goal of the game is to plow through all of the Garbage and clear the bottom row of blocks. Sounds simple enough, and for the most part it is. Why is it called Sticky Tetris, you ask? Any time two or more blocks of the same color connect, they mold together, forming a Polymino (one big, single-colored block). Breaking down the block can be a chore at times, especially if it's the one thing keeping you from beating the level, forcing you to frantically look for a solution, leading up to your eventual death. Ahhhh, a familiar moment in Tetris Worlds (or any Tetris game for that matter): death.

Cascade Tetris is a little like Tetris Attack. Gravity is now a part of your blocky balanced diet, meaning that any individual blocks hanging on the side or left over from a cleared line will now fall into the cells below. Not a huge difference, but a nice addition nonetheless.

HotLine is crazy! Six lines have been placed in the Matrix (no, not the awesome movie, the Matrix in Tetris Worlds is the rectangular area where all of the blocks fall). The first line is near the bottom (thank goodness!) and the last line is near the top, with four other lines placed somewhere in between. The object of HotLine is to clear a line on one of the six lines. The higher the line you choose (more like attempt) to clear, the higher the bonus you'll receive. Five lines must be cleared in the first level, ten must be completed in the second level, etc. Are you up to the challenge? You'd better be, because you must clear 75 lines in the final level! It's ridiculous, I know, but as with all the modes in Tetris Worlds, the longer it takes for you to conquer a particular mode, the longer you'll end up playing it. Even after having success though, the addiction does not go away. You'll still want go back and do it again...just to prove you can.

My only gripe with Tetris Worlds is its greedy multiplayer mode. Most of the first party games available for Game Boy Advance allow you to link up and play with three friends with just one cartridge. But for some insane reason, Tetris Worlds forces you to buy TWO copies of the same game to play against only ONE friend! In this day and age when technology is advanced enough to accommodate the multiplayer needs of a dated (technologically speaking) game such as Tetris Worlds, the two cartridge requirement comes across as nothing more than a cheap marketing ploy to sell more copies. Other than that though, I have no complaints. Come November 14th, I'm going to be spending a lot of time waiting in line for the Xbox, and I know that Tetris Worlds, above most GBA titles, will help me through that horrible ordeal. Not only will it keep my hands from getting frostbit (pressing the A-button repeatedly sure can generate a lot of heat), Tetris Worlds will also take my mind off the clock.

Graphics: 1.5 
Maybe I missed something, but I thought that Tetris Worlds was supposed to have beautiful 3D graphics? The blocks are 2D and the backgrounds are washed out two-dimensional images with poor 3D textures. If that was all you needed to do to create beautiful 3D graphics, Square wouldn't have wasted so much money on Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

Sound: 6
Remixed music from the original Tetris isn't exactly what I was hoping for, but it's better than most. On the other hand, you'll save some battery life if you turn down the volume on your GBA, allowing you to play longer. Having extra game time is more important than Tetris music, that's for sure.

Difficulty: 6
Once you've gotten used to it, the block indicator is a very helpful addition to the Tetris series. Does that make the game any easier? In some ways, yes, but in the later levels of Fusion and HotLine, it's pretty useless. Since the blocks are falling so fast, you won't be able to line them up anyway.

Concept: 5.5 
Tetris Worlds is a great game and all, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to come up with the concept for this title. It's another version of Tetris, a game that's been around for more than a decade.

Multiplayer: 5.9
Why do I need two cartridges to access the two-player mode, when I only need one copy of Mario Kart: Super Circuit to play it with three friends? Tetris Worlds is a lot of fun, but THQ shouldn't expect me to pay $80 for two copies just so I can play a game with my sister. I let her play Tetris Worlds whenever she wants, therefore she has no significant reason to buy her own copy.

Overall: 8.4
Tetris Worlds isn't just the best Game Boy Advance puzzler available -- it's also one of the best puzzle games ever made. Tetris Attack still holds the top spot as puzzle game champ, while Columns and I.Q. hang on to second and third place. Looking back, each one of those games was released at least a year (usually more) apart from each other. Tetris Worlds isn't as groundbreaking as the other games listed, nor is it as original. But did anyone enjoy Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (the true sequel to the original game) any less, even though it was merely a harder version of the first game? Not at all. Despite what game companies will tell you, sometimes "more of the same" is exactly what we're looking for. Tetris Worlds is more of the same...and a whole lot more.