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Atomino definitely earns the coveted title of This Month's German Puzzle Game Which is Dead Easy to Learn But Impossible to Master, picked from a jostling crowd of one. The aim is to build molecules from atoms and have fun doing so. See - Impossible to Master.

You're presented with a clear part of the screen, and a pit to the right of it into which fall atoms. These atoms have a certain number of free combinations, indicated by circling dots, ranging from one to four. The number of combinations determines how many other atoms the said atom can join with - one free combination means it can join with one other atom. A collection of atoms that are joined with no free combinations left forms a molecule and disappears from the screen.

Your job on each level is to complete a given task, the simplestof which is to create a certain number of molecules. The cursor indicates how many free combinations the current atom has; pressing "Fire" places it, and atoms may be swapped with existing atoms.

There are complications. The longer a level goes on the faster the atoms fall into the pit. When the inevitable pile reaches the top, it's Game Over time. Also, certain atoms may be fixed to the board, have no combinations at all or be Joker atoms that fit anywhere.

It's easy to write reviews of puzzle games - just substitute appropriate phrases into the right place. Thus: "Since this is a puzzle game, the graphics are strictly functional." It's true, though - the atoms are attractive enough, but apart from a title screen the main play screen is all you get. Same, too, with the audio effects - there's an attempt at some music but it's not going to make you jump for joy.

Atomino is a completely stripped down puzzle game and makes no pretensions at anything else, so it stands or falls on the enjoyability of the puzzle. It's a fast game - most of the time you work by instinct, because you simply don't have time to plan ahead much. In the end, you can take it or leave it, and many people may greet it with indifference. It's not likely to go down in history as one of the puzzle games, but if you're into sub-molecular atom-arranging you're in for a wild time. (And good luck to you.)