Creative weaponry, silly voices, and carnage – no it isn’t a gamer speed-dating event…everyone’s favourite invertebrate slaughter-mongers are back.  Worms is one of those games so firmly entrenched in gaming culture that whether they have played it or not, most gamers will at least have heard of it.  Originally springing fully armoured from the head of Andy Davidson for an Amiga Format competition, it was eventually snapped up by Team 17 and in 1994, a classic was born.

Many incarnations later, squatting firmly in the bunker of the artillery genre with strategy as it’s boot boy, Worms 2: Armageddon builds upon the strengths of it’s predecessor and ups the ante with a handful of Banana Bombs for good measure.  The aim of the game is simple – your quartet of plucky annelids have to obliterate the opposing team by any means afforded to them, and believe me, the range of weapons should satisfy even the pickiest general.  Traditional staples such as the Bazooka and Cluster Bomb are all present and correct and fan favourites such as the Holy Hand Grenade and the Concrete Donkey make a welcome return after their bitter absence from the first XBLA game.  As ever, strategy plays a big part in a player’s choice of weaponry and the usual Girders and Blowtorches remain for the ‘Dark Side’ players.

The environment may look stunning, but isn’t always friendly – water means sudden death and wind sheer will affect most shots (though more practised players will learn to use it to their advantage to pull off some nasty kills).  The cartoon style backdrops now also appear in vertical form, lending a new twist to some challenges and are as fully destructible as ever, with the added hazard of fire weapon fallout eating insidiously away at it, scorching Worms as it goes.  The lush palette and over the top themeing make the crisp landscapes a pleasure to blow apart and along with the expanded cacophony of ridiculous voices and sounds, imbues the whole thing with a genuine sense of addictive fun.

Everywhere in space is made of cheese, it's the law

35 single player levels will more than keep a player’s hands full and completing these earns gold which can be spent at the in-game shop on special weapons, silly hats, or even extra levels.  The single player campaign also includes puzzle levels which are both innovative and frustrating, requiring the player to solve problems or traverse the level with only limited weaponry or utilities, but which offer a welcome respite from the rigours of war.  Anyone venturing into the invertebrate strewn no-man’s-land of Live will find four new multiplayer modes, including Forts, with a flotilla of customisation options for those four player death scrums and of course, ranked two player matches which come with some gritty achievements.  Even the training levels have been given a lick of paint with some nifty extras such as Worm dummies to abuse (and if you’re devious, use for achievements).

It seems that the whole game is brimming with new features, meaning that new additions to the voice sets and landscapes, unlike the first game and it’s iffy requirement for the player to pay for extras, are packed in here as standard.  In fact, choice seems to be very much the name of the game with the player given a wealth of cheeky customisation options ranging from bizarre hats, victory dances, and skins to add to the usual wacky voices and gravestones.  A ‘cheese head’ hat or a ‘Grandpa’ speech set may mean nothing to some but you’d have to have a heart of stone not to crack a grin at the zany buffet laid out here.

Watch that wind sheer unless you want a Bazooka blast in the back of the head

It isn’t all brandy and cigars before curfew though – multiplayer is still proving buggy for some, several achievements are glitched and the rather bizarre intrusion of avatars between turns is both pointless and irritating, seeming oddly out of place  and serving only to slow down play, even if it is by one more button press.  For the more cynical, this is essentially more of the same -  anyone that has played any of Worms’ past incarnations will know the drill and when you strip back the baubles and new modes, it is the same game.  Again.  But it’s a damn good one, which makes all the difference.

Whether you’re dedicated carnage creator or simply fresh meat, you’ll find something worthwhile here.  The thought that has gone into refreshing a game which (let’s be honest) has not really changed for over 15 years, is obvious and appreciated – especially as we are once more being asked to pay 800MSP.  So leave your cynicism at the door, don your Alien Antenna and prepare to take cover, because there is a pale sheep trundling over the horizon, the Worm that sits on him is Death, and Armageddon is following with him.

Summary
Fan favourite weapons and a wealth of new modes and enhancements will please both veterans and newcomers alike. With a strong single player campaign and expanded multiplayer mode complimented by a range of customisation options, this may be just a slightly fleshier Worms but it still blows chunks out of the opposition.

Sudoku is one of those things which has crept from the sensible, inky pages of the morning papers where it nestled beside crosswords and quizzes, and slowly permeated into the world of console games.  After appearing on the more obvious formats such as the DS, it arrives rather demurely on XBLA in the form of the solid Buku Sudoku.

Control with a pad was always going to be interesting, especially given rival systems’ more natural methods which aped the chewed biro scribblings of ‘hardcopy puzzling’ with ease.  However, while relying on thumbsticks and triggers as opposed to a stylus could lead to a potentially game killing problem, Buku Sudoku carefully avoids this pothole with intuitive , easy controls which, after a grid or three, will become second nature.

The easy grid...ideal for knackered gaming or grinding points

A pleasing desk themed interface sets the mood, carrying through to friend’s leaderboards, personal stats, and game options.  The ambient music and sound effects (while oddly loud) , help make this one of those relaxing games for when you just can’t be bothered slinging on your assault rifle or stamping on Koopas.

While not a challenge of endurance or dexterity, the game is naturally, being a puzzler, not without its difficulties, though these are entirely of the player’s making, rather than obtuse gameplay.  A range of difficulty settings and modes, such as timed play, combined with a choice of grid sizes ranging from the baby blocks of a 6 number grid to a head-spinning 12, will ensure that there is something to suit even the most vanilla puzzler as well as those with more masochistic tastes.

Standard nine by nine for Sudoku traditionalists

Multiplayer is straightforward enough, providing team battles and head to head for competitive matches and a co-op mode for puzzling with friends on the same grid.  The ability to jump into a quick match or customise and create one is always welcome, but finding anyone with whom to knock down the multiplayer achievements may be a tall order.

Arguably, what is really a lone pursuit should not have come with multiplayer achievements shoehorned in, especially considering its likely narrow market, and this is one of the game’s main failings.  Additional content in the form of extra puzzles is available to download, though arguably, it would be hard to see any player running out or noticing any repeated grids unless they were a diehard puzzler.  Aside from the niggle of multiplayer achievements for a game such as this, there isn’t a great deal to complain about, but on the other hand, there isn’t a lot to shout about either.  It is simply Sudoku, albeit in pretty duds, and if that is all you want, then this shouldn’t disappoint.

Summary

Overall, Buku Sudoku is a well presented, solid puzzle game with easy controls and an attractive interface.  It offers a welcome diversion from the rigours of more dramatic titles on XBLA, making it ideal for passing time or simply winding down.  While it won’t set your world alight, it will compliment your cocoa and fluffy slippers and you can’t say fairer than that.