Columns was released in 1990 for the Sega Genesis, it was considered to be Sega's answer to the legendary puzzle game Tetris. This game involves placing gems of the same color in rows to score, not much different in theory than Tetris, but the execution is excellent. Graphics-5-10- They do what they need to, basic, but they fit the game perfectly and are better than Tetris, graphics don't really matter much in puzzle games anyway, so it's not a disappointment. Sound-9/10- This game has some excellent music, this feature of the game is easy to notice because of the high quality of the music and because it fits the setting perfectly, truly the dark horse strong point of the game. Control-10/10- Seeing as how the only real controls in the game involve the Directional-Pad and one button, they're perfect, it doesn't take any practice at all to learn the controls, then again it's a puzzle game, you shouldn't have to. Gameplay-10/10- Similar to Tetris, yet different in its own right, the gameplay is very simple at first, but then the gems' fall progresses to an alarming fast rate causing you to react accordingly, it's much harder to do than Tetris due to the color coordination. Presentation-8/10- About as good as one would expect from a puzzle game. The menus fit the game's Egyptian theme perfectly and are easy to navigate through. Replay Value-10/10- Like most puzzle games, they take a lifetime to master. Believe me you'll be addicted to this game. Overlall-8/10- The game is just as good as Tetris and stands the test of time well also, it deserves to be played by everyone, especially those who love puzzle games, it has many good points, among them the music and gameplay. It's too bad that this series will probably not see the light of day on the Dreamcast, it would be a great addition to the system's library. The last game of the series was Coumns III on the Sega Genesis, the first game is also available as part of the Sega 6-Pak game cartridge on the Genesis, as well as the Sega Classics CD on the Sega CD. For Nomad Owners- The blurring is minor and is only really problematic in the later stages. The music and control are still excelent. If you own the Nomad this game is perfect, try to get the Sega 6-Pak if you can, it contains this game as well as 5 other classic Sega games, it's fairly common and shoudn't cost more than $15.
