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There have been quite a few puzzle games released for the NES recently, and Squirrel Domino seems to be taking Dr. Mario as its inspiration.

There are clear blocks on the stage which must be cleared by matching four blocks of the same colour in a row. Once all blocks have been cleared the player is victorious. The menu screen offers a lot of options, ranging from single player / versus, difficulty, graphical styles and music selection. Upon starting the action, you may notice the game looks incredibly basic, but personally I like the minimalist style, the lack of clutter allows you to focus on what's important.

The music tracks on offer are quite good too, and you have the option of turning them off if you wish. What I like about Squirrel Domino is that it feels crisp and responsive to play, which is so important in these matching puzzle games. It is also somewhat intuitive - the game by its design lets the player know what they have to do, and even if you get stuck there are some basic instructions on the main menu telling you how to play.

Squirrel Domino was originally conceived as a mini game for another of the developer's games, but I have to say that in terms of pure gameplay this is one of the best puzzlers I've played on the system, including official releases! It utterly nails how a puzzler should feel, which is something often overlooked in this genre.

Highly recommended.