Tetris makes its way onto Nintendo’s DS handheld system. Like no one could have seen that coming! I think the only real surprise is that it took so long. Ever since the very first Nintendo Game Boy handheld launched in 1989, Tetris has been on every Nintendo handheld – usually in multiple versions. Well the DS has its Tetris now, and while the game is not all new, it holds up very well considering its age.

What can I say that hundreds of reviewers before me have not already said: the core Tetris game is inspired brilliance from the mind of Alexey Pajitnov (who has recently been creating tension between me and my wife with his latest puzzle game Hexic on my shiny new Xbox 360 that I am loath to share) and it is one of the greatest games of all time. It almost single-handedly created the kinetic-puzzle genre. If you have not seen Tetris on a handheld, console, computer, cell phone or even a keychain, you are without a pulse or been living on a deserted island for the last 17 years.

Tetris shares an attribute that many great games share: it is a moment to learn and many hours of play to even begin to master. In its simplest form, different shaped blocks called Tetriminos fall from the top of the screen. The player uses the directional controller to move the Tetriminos left and right and two buttons to rotate it clockwise or counterclockwise. The goal is to stack the Tetriminos at the bottom of the screen to create solid lines. Once a solid line is created it disappears, the player gets points and the whole stack settles closer to the bottom. The game ends when the player allows the Tetriminos to stack all the way to the top of the screen. Tetris DS offers a few variations on the standard core game.

Touch mode is the variation that best uses the DS’ unique touch screen control. The game starts with a stack of Tetriminos that the player must rotate and slide around the playing field; ultimately clearing the entire stack. The stylus is used as the control input device to grab and slide the Tetriminos. Rotation is accomplished by a double tap: left and then right for clockwise and right then left for counterclockwise. The Touch mode is the only variation that uses the touch screen for control. All the others use the directional pad and buttons.

Catch mode has the player controlling a floating core that he uses to catch Tetriminos that are falling down. As the Tetriminos touch the core they fuse to it. The goal is to build a 4x4 block. At this time the block can be detonated to clear excess Tetriminos on the core and any falling blocks that are caught in the blast. Running into enemies that fall from above with the Tetriminos, letting a Tetrimino get past the core without fusing it, or rotating the core into a falling Tetrimino causes the player to loose energy. Once energy is depleted the game is over.

Mission mode challenges the player to accomplish set goals with specified Tetriminos. An example of this is to clear two lines with a 2x2 square Tetrimino. Play continues until the player fails to accomplish a mission.

Puzzle mode is also a challenge mode. The player is presented with an arrangement of blocks already on the screen. He is then given a certain number of predetermined blocks to place in the arrangement to clear it completely. The only thing the player has control over is the order the Tetriminos will be dropped in and their orientation when released. After that they drop automatically. Clearing the puzzle moves you on to a harder one.

Push mode has the player working on the top screen to push an opposing player off the bottom screen. Pushing is accomplished by clearing two or more lines at a time from your screen. The game is over when the player or his opponent is pushed beyond their respective danger lines.

In addition to the single-player variations, there are also multiplayer variations of the Standard, Push and Mission modes. A wireless game can be played by up to 10 using a single game card. Similarly a WiFi game can be enjoyed by up to 10 players.

While all the fancy variations on Tetris are nice to have, the heart and soul of the game is still the standard variation that harkens all the way back to 1989. Never has there been a better marriage of gaming platform and software than the handheld and Tetris. Hours can still be spent just trying to survive in a game as long as possible. And it is undoubtedly in the standard mode that owners of this game will spend most of their time.