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Yes, folks, it's that famous load of blocks again. Not content with the reputation of having designed the most popular multi-format puzzle game ever, Alexei Pazhitnov, full-time Russian mathematician, part-time Russian mind-bender, has been brainstorming again. And what he's come up with is more of the same - only this time he's twisted his brain round another dimension: Welltris is Tetris in 3D.

Instead of falling down the screen, the blocks fall down the sides of a well. At its base there's a square in which the bricks have to be arranged in straight lines. Speed of fall and level of difficulty are selected from a straightforward menu before you start - but whatever the level, there's one basic rule: the more lines you create at once, the higher your overall 860

Despite being a runaway success on every other possible format, Tetris on 16-bit never looked so hot. At the root of its problems was a half-hearted attempt to render its blocks in 3D. What hampered the playability then is what transforms it now. Welltris doesn't just create the illusion of depth, it genuinely adds an extra dimension to the gameplay. There are only a couple of new shapes but the four-sided well, no-go areas and corner pieces add immensely to the potential for different game strategies.

There's scope for all sorts of elaborate column and cross formations - and the more you play it the more sophisticated your tactics become. Unlike Rainbow Arts' Block Out, which falls down a touch on the graphical presentation of the 3D blocks, Welltris gives you the best of both worlds: the flexibility of a 3D well and the visibility of 2D bricks. The control method is also a lot easier to get to grips with - just four keys, rather than Block Out's eight. Welltris is frustrating, frighteningly addictive and great fun: it's got everything that Tetris had - and more.

ST Welltris should look, feel and sound exactly like its Amiga brother: you won't be able to tell the difference unless you look at the sticky label on the disk.

Good news for PC puzzlers. Expected at exactly the same time, featuring identical gameplay but fewer sound effects, PC Welltris comes in CGA and EGA. Details on VGA, Roland and AdLib compatibility have yet to be confirmed.