I know, I know… the last thing you want to hear is yet another staffer comparing yet another “puzzle” game to the almighty crack of video games, Tetris. Well tough crap, because in all my time of gaming only this game has managed to equal the unique simplicity and addictive gameplay of Tetris. One game has created a new genre that will storm into the gaming market like snowboarding games did just a few years ago… all hail the space-ducky-stick-a-copter masterpiece Kuru Kuru Kururin.

The controls are simple and dead on. You move your space-ducky-stick-a-copter with the control pad and can speed your movement up, but not your RPMs, with the use of the “A” or “B” button. You can also make ever so useful honking noises with the “L” or “R” button… and you get TWO DIFFERENT NOISES! Quality and quantity have finally come together in an amalgamation of utopian proportions!

The sounds are exactly what I have always imagined a space-ducky-stick-a-copter game having. The music is light and poppy which helps to keep you relaxed and focused when squeezing through those tight spots while trying to beat the timer. Other sounds include the mechanical sounds of metal balls being released into your path, the *boing* of the springs you hit to reverse your rotation, and the horrific sound of your space ducky being electrocuted as his copter blades hit a wall. And lets not forget the encouraging speech of the “announcer ducky girl/small child” that yells “GOAL!” when you finish a level.

The gameplay is where this title really shines through. From the simple, yet intense, level designs to the excellent replay value you get out of trying to beat the game’s/your own best time on each level, you will be hard pressed not to find a good time hidden inside this simple package. Everyone who I have made try this game is hooked on it. My 59 year old father, my 9 year old niece, and my 23 year old coworker all sat in a trance as they attempted to fly their way to victory. So if you dropped the hefty flow to get a GBA at its launch, I know you have enough cash to pick up this one-of-a-kind game… and I strongly suggest you do. That way when the space-ducky-stick-a-copter genre explodes onto the gaming world in the future, you can be an old school pro talking about the good old Kuru Kuru Kururin days instead of being some new school poseur riding the bandwagon.