Puzznic Download (1990 Puzzle Game)

The challenge in each level of Puzznic is to manoeuvre a selection of blocks into place so as to clear them all, by making them make contact with blocks of the same design. You control a cross-hair, which can move a block left or right, which can cause it to fall if there is no block under the space it would occupy.

There are many complications in terms of solving the levels. Moving platforms meaning that you need to move a block at a particular time, or in particular order, to prevent them being blockaded. In some situations there are an odd number of a certain type of block - solving these requires positioning two of the blocks one space apart, such that a move will result in a piece making contact with two others, and immediately removing all three. You will also encounter blocks positioned on platforms suspended in space and gaps in level arrangements meaning that a certain number of blocks must be in place to make a certain move possible (by forming a stack, for example)

The game structure is slightly unusual, as after you complete each batch of four levels you get a choice of two sets of levels - you are progressing through an expanding matrix of levels, which means there are two sets on level 2, three on level 3, four on level 4, and so on. This means that there are a total of 220 screens in the game. Each screen is played against a time limit, and losing a level (either by running out of time, or by making a poor move and leaving an impossible position) loses one of your three lives.

Decent conversion of Taito's coin-up puzzle/logic game done by Banana Development, an independent studio that ported a lot of arcade/non-PC games to the PC. A fun puzzler where you have to eliminate blocks by moving two or more of the same kind together. Puzznic is neither original nor devious, but still has enough good old-fashion gameplay inspired by classic Sokoban and traditional tile-matching game to capture anyone's interest for a while. Software Creations' Amiga version looks, sounds and plays better - but this PC version is still an addictive game. The game is a bit on an easy side, as I was able to finish it in a few sittings, so puzzle experts may find it a waste of their time. Newcomers to the genre and Sokoban fans will like this game a lot, though.

Another exquisit Puzzle game from the year 1990. A little bit of Tetris in here, but the game is more complex than the old classic. Basically you "just" need to bring two (or more) pieces of the same kind next to each other and they vanish - once you made all the pieces disappear you won this level. But this is not as easy as it may sound. Always watch out for gravity - if you push a piece over the edge it won't go back up there again! The game gets more tricky when you have to make 3 pieces of one kind disappear at once because otherwise you would have a single one in the end that won't vanish. There are also moving blocks that you have to use as a lift or just have to avoid because they are blocking your way. There are lots of levels and just like in Outrun you can choose your way through them on something like a roadmap.

This game is sure to tickle your brain and it's good fun. It instantly rose to become one of my favorites of this genre.

How to run this game on modern Windows PC?

People who downloaded Puzznic have also downloaded:
Puzzle Gallery (a.k.a. At The Carnival), Quadrel, Rescue Rover, Revelation, Puzzle Pits, Quadrax, Pushover, Qwirks