Electric Box 2
I am, generally, not a fan of puzzle games. I'll be fine to begin with, so long as the game assumes I am a mentally deficient man-child with ten thumbs, but when the going gets tough, I slink out of the room giving CPR to my dignity.
I'm not 100% sure what attracts me to Electric Box 2. Possibly because I don't have to quickly co-ordinate the solution and put it into place before item A reaches place B (see- many later Portal levels). More likely, however is that it is a throwback to possibly my first ever videogame, Tim [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredible_Machine_%28game%29]. Everything about it is simple, yet challenging.
The gameplay revolves around a basic objective - power the Target via the Main Power Supply. The MPS will power everything on its wire, and you have a variety of means with which to activate the power on the Targets' wire, such as lights, solar panels, fans and steam. You place the items you wish to use by means of click-and-drag from the panel on the right, and rotate by clicking on the item. From here, you click 'Go', the MPS button, and watch as your creation comes to life. Initially, this isn't that impressive, but when the result of careful positioning and hard work comes to fruition, it is a proud feeling. Added to the original are more parts to play with. The user made content is improved somewhat, as you can now browse for games rather than having to already know the code, and there are some intelligent designs on there!
The soundtrack is thought-provoking and interesting, with my personal favourite being Track 2. There is a certain balance in game tracks that the Sound team, Symphony of Specters [http://www.symphonyofspecters.com/], hits as precisely as any soundtrack has since Hellmarch.
Overall, there is a very polished feel to the game that other puzzlers don't quite get. However, it does stumble in parts. Some levels are fairy difficult even when an obvious answer is staring you in the face, although this is a staple of puzzlers and can get embarrassing if you look up the answer to discover how far off you were!), and the constant addition of new parts, almost every level, stops you being able to enjoy the intelligent level design, because you are too busy working out what the new gizmo does.
If you enjoy puzzlers, or even if you don't, this game is likely to light up your life!
Thanks for reading! [http://www.candystand.com/play/electric-box-2#?key=cde09c6d-2b52-4fc8-aa9e-f3af48da6ad8]
