It's deja vu all over again for your PSP.

Like Splinter Cell rip-offs and Grand Theft Auto clones, the phrase "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" has made the video game industry what it is today. Gamers flock to buy the same handful of titles each year, even though all they get are roster updates or new skins with little to no upgrade in game mechanics. Makers of puzzle games might rely on successful formulas more than any other developers as gamers and non-gamers alike can't seem to resist a little challenge on that morning commute to the grind.

Farmind Ltd and Got Game Entertainment are now offering up their take on the block puzzle craze and wait for it...it's a heck of a good game. Yes, Puzzle Scape brought to you by the aforementioned companies has merged elements of Lumines and Tetris to bring a familiar, yet flavorful PSP game that will jab its hook in your jaw and reel you in like a helpless fish. So, how is it possible for another "me-too" title to offer something that will make you put away your other puzzle games?

It's quite simple. First off, what Puzzle Scape does, it does well. In other words, if you as a developer plan to use someone else's blueprint when making your game make certain the foundation is solid. As a quick "how to" if you ever plan to create one of these titles yourself, there are two things that are simply a must. First, the control scheme must be simple and you must be able to move/rotate the blocks quickly as your mind tells you where to put them. Secondly, the pay-off must make the player want to keep moving the blocks and playing your game.

Again, nothing new here with Puzzle Scape, but I found both the above elements of game play to be incredibly well done. Additionally, Farmind and Got Game have found a way to put in a bit of a twist. Rather than rotate blocks as they are falling, as you would in Tetris, you actually move them to the left and right once they have landed, constantly switching pieces toward the left, right or middle of the screen. Periodically, a line of new blocks stretching across the entire screen will fall from the top to give you new options, while also ratcheting up the tension. Once the screen fills with too many blocks, well, you know what happens.