If one thing marked Alexey Pajitnov’s sublime puzzler, Tetris, it was its sheer simplicity.

The fact people could pick it up and instantly understand exactly what they had to do helped it to become a smash hit more than 20 years ago on the Gameboy.

It didn’t need fancy graphics — which is why it worked so well on the green screen of Nintendo’s handheld — and it didn’t need much in the way of instructions. But it did require nerves of steel as the pace picked up. Tetris was actually less of a puzzler and more of a full-on action title — constantly looking ahead and using every ounce of nouce to prevent the blocks from stacking too high.

Over the years, game developers have tried to mimic this addictive gem.

They have also tried to advance on the winning formula of the Russian-born originator.

The results have been fairly mixed with few really achieving success. Those which have caught the imagination are those which have stuck closely to the debut game and Tetris Party Deluxe falls into that category.

The additions it makes are great. It takes a familiar formula and adds a twist. 4/5