21-6 Productions ' and GarageGames ' Tube Twist is at the other end of the spectrum compared to its previous titles like Orbz. This time out players are given a the high minded challenge of solving puzzles in the vein of such puzzlers as the Incredible Machine, Chain Reaction or the classic board game Mouse Trap. In this game players use 30 tube and device elements to finish experiments. The game offers a backstory (which we'll get into) but it's largely unimportant - the goal here is to recreate experiments by solving these puzzles of escalating difficulty and moving on to the next board.

Now it's been said in other reviews of the game that this is a good game for kids to play, but judging by the difficulty and the learning curve this is more of a game that you can and should play with your kids. Some elements might have to be explained and the interface for manipulating objects (like turning tubes) can be a little difficult to figure out at first. But once you get past that Tube Twist proves to be one of the most challenging puzzle games you'll encounter. Let's go over the gameplay and backstory first before we delve into the game's overall worth..

The backstory, which plays out as puzzle difficulty ramps up, is pretty straightforward: Professor Jaymour, a scientist working on a special series of experiments codenamed "Project TubeTwist." has gone missing in time. You play a student visiting the university trying to figure out what went wrong and where the good professor ended up.. and the only clues you have are the experiments she has left behind. So your only recourse is to recreate each experiment and hope that you’re findings lead to some answers.

The experiments deal with Macrotons, small balls of powerful energy, that must be sent from a starting point to an end point safely. Macrotons start out in injector tubes and must be guided to a reactor safely without exploding. The twist is that there are three kinds of Macrotons, and each must be guided to a reactor built specifically to house them. There are three different Macrotons that players will have to deal with: green, blue, and exploding.

To get these Macrotons from Point A to Point B players will have to use a variety of Tubes and other gadgets to create a path for the Macrotons in question to travel safely. These include straight and curved tubes, junction boxes, four-way switches, cannons, funnels, accelerators, and gravity devices.

As the player begins each experiment they are presented with a partial setup of the situation and must use the limited pieces in the tube tray to recreate the experiment. Players can rotate the pieces and put them in place at the leisure because the game doesn't press you with a time limit. Players can also test out their experiments to see if it is going to work or which way the Macroton in question is traveling to get a better idea of what needs to be fixed or changed. As player complete each experiment, a little scrap of the backstory is revealed and puzzle difficulty gets ramped up. As we mentioned earlier, the puzzle difficulty makes it the kind of experience that you can work together with your children on or solo if you're a particularly smart egg. Still the pacing on the game (the no pressure approach) makes it a casual experience for those that aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer (present company included).

In the end TubeTwist is a very challenging puzzler with a lot going for it. There are around 80 puzzles to complete, a nice low price point of $19.95, which can be purchased and played almost immediately from GarageGames , support for multiple platforms (Windows, Mac) and a promise of a whole new set of experiments in an Experiment Pack scheduled for release sometime later this month. But don't take our word for it - you can get a taste of the game right now by downloading the official demo . In the end TubeTwist is a great game for puzzler fanatics looking to stimulate their brains. For that, its multi-platform support and its low price point, GameShark gives the game a grade of "B."