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Gamers of old may remember a puzzle game that was released on the NES and Gameboy called Dr Mario. Its unique take on the falling block puzzle game won over many fans and established the base for Nintendo’s first WiiWare title. Dr Mario & Germ Buster brings back the classic virus-busting action of the original game complete with plenty of new tricks to the table.

For those who have not being trained in the art of Dr Mario, the goal is to eliminate viruses by matching coloured pills with their virus counterparts. While it starts off simple at first, the challenge escalates when you are clearing more and more viruses. The WiiWare title also features 2 player competitive local and online play over Nintendo Wifi and the optional use of your Mii characters in place of Mario himself.

The second part of the name, Germ Buster, refers to the new style of play first brought about by the minigame featured in Brain Age 2. On the Wii, you align pills via the IR sensor built into the Wiimote. This new way of play can make for a hectic play experience, which is only made even more fun by throwing 3 others into the game through local co op play. While it is a shame this mode does not feature online play, it is a blast to play at any given time.

As a puzzle game, Dr Mario does not need to deliver stellar graphics to win over an audience. Bright colourful pills and viruses are laid out over plan backdrops, but this helps player’s focus on the game which is a must for any puzzle game. Classic tunes from previous Dr Mario releases also make a return for this game, and they are just as catchy and memorable as they ever were.

While the 1000 Wii Points price tag may seem a bit harsh, it is easily justifiable when you realize how many hours you can put into the game. There is even an option to send your Wii friends a Wifi enabled multiplayer demo via Wii Connect 24. Fans of puzzle games will be coming back to this game for quite some time thanks to the competitive aspect of multiplayer. In short, Dr Mario & Germ Buster easily delivers and is more than worth its price.

Third party developers often criticize Nintendo systems because their owners only buy Nintendo games. However when you look at the level of quality that Nintendo bring, even to a small downloadable title, there is reason for this misconception. Fans of the previous Dr Mario games should give this an immediate download, as this is the definitive version of a classic puzzler. Others may want to try out the multiplayer demo, if only to be immediately won over by this stand out WiiWare game.

Platform reviewed: WiiWare

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