Kevin Remhof
10-01-2004, 05:30 PM
<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/remhof-sep04-atomix-0.gif" /><br /><br /><b>Product Category:</b> Games<br /><b>Manufacturer:</b> <a href="http://www.1-easysoft.com/">1st EasySoft </a><br /><b>Where to Buy:</b> <a href="http://www.handango.com/brainstore/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&productId=128171">Handango</a> (affiliate link)<br /><b>Price:</b> $7.95 USD, a demo is available.<br /><b>System Requirements:</b> Pocket PC 2002, WM 2003 or later, 1 MB storage. It can be installed to a storage card as well.<br /><br /><b>Pros:</b><li>Easy to learn;<br /><li>Good graphics;<br /><li>Addictive;<br /><li>Fabulous Price.<b>Cons:</b><li>No save feature.<br /><b>Summary:</b><br />Atomix by 1st EasySoft is a game for the puzzle-lover in all of us. Build molecules in record time to make it to the next level. If you crave a good old-fashioned puzzle game with excellent graphics and addictive gameplay, Atomix is for you. Check out my quick review of this game... can I get back to playing it now?<br /><br />Read on for the full review!<!><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>Mad Scientists Welcome</b></span><br />1st EasySoft's Atomix challenges you to build molecules. You're given all of the atoms that you need at the start of each level. The levels are set up in a maze-like fashion with atoms, walls, and movable bricks. It's then up to you to put them together in the proper order. You can move pieces either up, down, left, or right. Once a piece starts moving, it won't stop until it hits another atom, wall, or brick. In the game, you'll see the gameboard, timer, number of moves, and a picture of the molecule you trying to create. Once you've assembled the molecule, you're done. Simple enough, right?<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/remhof-sep04-atomix-1.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 1: The first level. Yes, it's supposed to be easy.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/remhof-sep04-atomix-2.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 2: Level solved.</i><br /><br />Getting started with Atomix is a snap. The gameplay is very basic since you can only move atoms and bricks. The first few levels give a good feel for what the rest of that game is like. Each time you beat a level, more are opened up for you to play. The game comes with 28 levels, so you'll have plenty to keep you busy. The difficulty of the levels increases fairly steadily. I found a few levels that were very difficult but they tended to be followed by easier levels.<br /><br /><span><b>Too Easy for You?</b></span><br />After you've beaten the first few levels, you'll probably be ready for a greater challenge. There are three modes to choose from: Easy, Normal, and Hard. Easy gives you unlimited time and moves. Normal gives you a shorter time but still unlimited moves. Hard limits both your time and your number of moves. The levels get hard and harder as you go along. I particularly enjoyed the 5 crystal levels. They are a nice break from the regular levels. Solving them is more like playing "15-puzzle" where you shuffle around the numbers 1-15 in a 4x4 grid.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/remhof-sep04-atomix-3.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 3: Choose your level wisely.</i><br /><br />I was able to beat all 28 levels on Easy within a few weeks. Normal is not too much harder but it helps if you have already beaten the level on Easy. That way, you know the "secrets" of that level. I only have beaten a few levels on Hard. It's just too... hard? I don't think that's a bad thing though. Beating a level on Hard is an achievement. It also adds some great replayability to the game.<br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>Graphics and Sound</b></span><br />The graphics in Atomix are great. The level select screen has some nice-looking scrolling text that shows your record times. This text and the intro graphics are nice, adding just a bit of pizazz to a fairly straightforward puzzle game. Once in the game, atoms and bricks float across the screen as you move them. I found myself getting frustrated at how slowly the pieces seemed to move at times. Don't get me wrong, they move at a nice speed. But when you have just a few seconds to finish a level, it seems like an eternity.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/remhof-sep04-atomix-4.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 4: Nice level select screen.</i><br /><br />The sounds in the game are good. The pieces whoosh around the screen and make a nice sound when thunking into each other. The music is of puzzle-techno variety. I'm not sure what makes techno mixes match so well with puzzle games but hey, who am I to complain? If you've seen my previous reviews, you'll know that I normally turn off sound and music. When I did have it on though, I enjoyed the music and sounds.<br /><br /><span><b>OS Interoperability</b></span><br />Atomix runs great on my HP iPAQ 1945. System alarms go off correctly without crashing the program. The only problem I noticed with the game is if I power off my Pocket PC. When I turn it back on, the game is frozen and I sometimes have to do a soft reset. Turning the device off and on a second time usually solved this problem.<br /><br /><span><b>Conclusions</b></span><br />This game is just plain fun! Atomix is a challenging game that lets you solve puzzles at the molecular level. After playing the first few levels, I was hooked. The graphics are good but don't get in the way. The 3 difficulties and 28 levels kept me coming back for more. At $7.95, it's a steal.