When the boys first mentioned wanting the Wii game Boom Blox I gave them a courteous "Oh, okay" and thought very little of it. A week or so later when they showed me the game in the case at the local Target I remained unimpressed. The cover looked pretty simple and I figured it was just a simple kids game where you shot or threw blocks at square shaped animals. I hadn't seen the commercials that had caught the attention of the boys and didn't really care to find out more about the game. I never knew that EA had teamed up with Steven Spielberg to create this game.

It wasn't until we were under the gun to find something else for my youngest son's 6th year birthday that we resigned to the Boom Blox game. I figured since he had talked it up so well he would be pleased with it, and besides, they were out of stock of the Pokemon game (which we considered a blessing, by the way). Plus, if he liked it it could be one game that I would not get drawn into to help get to the next level as I planned to have very little interest in the game.

Well, that all changed after about 5 minutes of my son playing it. My son, as is typically his style, skipped the lower level training games and went straight to a shooting gallery style event. It was something between Duck Hunt and Shooting Gallery in Carnival Games. He was taking aim at numbered blocks to try to shoot his way to a score worthy of a medal. After a couple of tries I could not refrain and had to join in to help out. And I was hooked.

As a sensible adult, I went back later that night and went through the training sessions. Boom Blox consist of various games that involve throwing (with a throwing motion using the Wii remote) or shooting blox. Some blocks are gem blocks, some are points, some penalty and some special. Generally your goal is to knock the gem blocks or numbered blocks to the ground through various means or to shoot them (as in the shooting gallery style my son started out with). You are judged by the number of throws it takes you to knock down (off pedestals or towers) all of the gem blocks or to score points with the total of the numbered blocks you destroy.

Special blocks include Bomb blocks (yes, they blow up), Chemical blocks (they explode when they touch another chemical block), Vanishing blocks (they disappear when struck) and some others used in upper levels (one of which is a Fireworks block that, as you would guess, shoots off fireworks when hit). The goal is to use these blocks to maximize your destruction of the gem or numbered blocks. For instance, you can use a Bomb block to knock down several towers thus knocking down and destroying the gem blocks on top of them. Or you can throw your object (a bowling ball or various other balls you can earn- the tennis ball, for instance, bounces off solid objects pretty easily) toward a chemical block to knock it into another chemical block and begin a chain reaction of explosions to knock down the most Gem blocks.

Again, the goal in game is to knock down the most blocks with the fewest throws. You can throw at a Vanishing block that is part of the bottom of a tower and thus make it unstable. It may topple toward another tower and cause a domino effect, or even cause a Bomb block to be hit to explode another tower. For some of the basic levels (called the Explorer level) that you start with, it may take a couple of tries but you can figure out the sequence of events to get down to the throws necessary for a gold medal (usually 1 or 2 throws allowed). If you like puzzles or strategy games, this can get to be pretty fun.

Another style of games are similar to the game Jenga. You use your Wii remote to grab and pull out blocks from towers. These games include challenges to pull out the most blocks you can before the tower topples or to pull out the most you can while keeping several Boom Blox animals balanced on the top. These can get very challenging and a little frustrating as what you think you are doing in maneuvering your remote as a hand may not work the way you intend.

As far as the modes available, I found it easier to start in the Explore mode. Here you can work on games such as those described above (throwing balls, knocking over towers and causing explosions) and if at first you don't succeed, keep working toward the Gold!! Each game you complete unlocks the next and the better you do the more items you unlock for the Create Mode. Create Mode is a place where you can build, on a grid, your own Boom Blox puzzles/scenarios. You can build with all the different types of blocks, use default structures along with ones you earn in other modes, place characters in, on or around the items you build and then start the scenario off like any other game- throw an object at items, let the characters move and cause events to kick off and a multitude of things I haven't even figured out yet. I have to admit I have scratched the surface in the Create Mode area but haven't spent a lot of time there.

The final mode is the Adventure Mode. Here you use the techniques you learned in the Explore mode to complete missions. Some are protecting gems against invaders or helping characters get through, around, over, under or across obstacles. Like the Explore mode, you earn new levels by completing the preceding ones. The games follow a story so that adds a little to the enjoyment and keeps the kids more entertained. And again with the Adventure mode you earn props and characters to use for the Create mode.

In summary, Boom Blox is a lot of fun. Almost too much fun- I have to limit myself from getting to sucked in. As I mentioned, if you enjoy puzzles or strategy games, this simple game about blocks is amazingly satisfying. The game touts over 300 levels so there is a lot to do. At this date my game states I am about 40% through the game. The characters add a little humor and are interesting to watch as they cheer you on, or fall from getting hit by a stray flying object, while you play. I highly recommend this title from EA (and Steven Spielberg, did I mention that before?) for the Wii. It is a great game to take advantage of the flexibility of the Wii remote with throwing and pulling motions. At a minimum, I suggest you rent or borrow a copy to try it out, but be prepared to get hooked and ready to run out and buy a copy of your own. BOOM.