Wetrix
What is it?
As the name suggests, Wetrix is a Tetris clone that is all about water. The pieces, once they have fallen down, form elevations in the stylized landscape on which you play. Arrange them so that they will catch the water, that occasionally falls down instead, in lakes. The more lakes you form, the more points you get. Water that flows over the sides is caught in the glass at the right. Once that glass is full, game is over.
Of course there is more than just dams and water that falls from the skies. Sometimes there is a bomb, which will burn a hole in your landscape. Annoying, but if you mend it later by dropping a dam on it, you get extra points. Sometimes there is a fireball that will evaporate a lake. Sometimes there is a yellow (rubber?) duck…
Wetrix is probably the Tetris clone that departs farthest from the original concept while still remaining fully recognizable. And it is the one that best represents the spirit of the Pentium II era, with its noisiness, colorful graphics, and DirectX support.
What makes Wetrix incredibly addictive is just not just its attractive graphics or unique concept, although it has plenty of both: it's the many subtleties and surprises that will keep you glued to the screen. Just when you think you got a hang of it, bombs fall from the sky to wreck your dams. If you try to solve the problem by creating tall mountains somewhere on the board for them to hit, you risk disastrous earthquakes (that happen when land is raised too high) that often spell "game over." Special falling pieces include ice cubes, which freeze the water, and fireballs which evaporate it. Pieces fall faster in higher levels, each with its own secrets and challenges (hint: kill the duck when you see it).
The frantic quality of Wetrix has its charm, though, and the game is fun. The water graphics look great, the sound is good (with a booming voice telling you how many lakes you have, which is even more fun if you set French or German as the language). The overall effect is a bit like playing Tetris when your blocks are illogically stacked and you're nearing the top—it's immensely frustrating, but equally satisfying when you succeed.
