First of all I have to say that few video games truly surprise me anymore. Some are worse than I expect and some are better, but few games do I go into not expecting much and come out pleasantly surprised with. When I shot video of Cratermaze for the web site a few weeks ago, I didn't get the impression that it was going to be a very good game at all. It seemed like a game idea that had been done to death with the Bomberman and Lode Runner series of games and didn't seem to have anything else special to offer up. Now I have to eat a little crow and admit that my first impressions of the game weren't exactly on the money and after spending a few hours with the game, I've found that it's actually a lot more fun than it looks. Don't make the same mistake I did and write this one off as just another puzzler-clone with nothing to offer, as you'll quickly find yourself sucked in to the lure that Cratermaze presents

Game play in Cratermaze can best be described as a cross between Bomberman and Lode Runner. You run around various mazes with enemies constantly coming at you. Your goal in each level is to grab every treasure chest and head for the exit. Once you've acquired every chest in the level a green key will appear. Once you've gotten the key, the door will begin to glow and it's at that time that you can exit the level through the door and move on to the next level. While this might sound like an easy task, the enemy barrage will prove to be your main obstacle in each level. The first way to dispatch of enemies is to dig holes with your shovel. The enemies will fall into the holes and become stuck. On the Normal difficulty level, your character can't fall into his own holes, but once you reach the Difficult and Expert settings, you'll no longer be able to walk over the holes you dig. If you want to rack up some bonus points you can use your shovel to cover the enemy with dirt thus making a cross-like headstone appear above them. At the end of the level you are given bonus points for every enemy you've successfully buried. The game will also occasionally throw you a special item to use ranging from an Invincibility Helmet to special weapons to use on enemies. The Yo-Yo is still my favorite but there's also a Bubble Gun and a Freeze Ray you can use as well. These weapons will also play a key role in the boss encounters you'll come across at the midpoint and end of the game's 60 levels. On the Normal difficulty, the game is extremely easy, and shouldn't take you too long to finish. The real fun begins when you start playing the game's Difficult and Expert levels. This is where the action really heats up and there are a lot more dangers to deal with as well. Seasoned gamers will certainly enjoy this setting.

Overall the control in Cratermaze is tight and responsive and it's very easy to quickly come to grips with the control system and how the game functions. About the only gripe I have is that the game is extremely easy early on, so if you want some real challenge you're just going to have to stick with it for awhile to experience all the game has to offer in the later difficulty levels. The more challenging the game gets, the more addictive and fun it becomes. I honestly had a tough time putting it down to even find time to write this review. The inherent lack of multi-player is about the only real negative aspect of the game.  It's safe to say that Cratermaze is a game I'll definitely be revisiting again soon.

You wouldn't expect much visually from a maze game, but Cratermaze does a fine job of displaying some nicely drawn backdrops and even the character and enemy animations are all very well done. There are plenty of colors onscreen to give everything a bright and vibrant look and each new area has its own distinctive graphics style to it that keeps the game feeling fresh from a visual standpoint. The bosses in the game are especially impressive to look at, it's just a shame that there's really only two of them throughout the entire game. It's nice to see that the developers put in some extra time and effort into the visuals of the game even thought it's still basically a puzzler at heart.

Much like the visuals, the music and sound effects in the game are also quite solid. The musical tracks are very upbeat and catchy and the sound effects sound like they were modeled after many of the classic arcade games of the 80's. Classic arcade game fans will surely be the first to notice and appreciate this little touch. The only knock with the music in this game is that there are really only a couple of different musical tracks that randomly play throughout all of the levels so once you've heard the same song for the 20th time, you will begin to get a little tired of it. I liked all of the tunes at first, but after playing about 35 levels, I was beginning to recognize the song the second it began to play. I also found myself strangely looking forward to one specific musical piece that I really liked, so at least that made it fun. Great music and sound, just needs a bit more variety to pep things up a little.

There's honestly very little to not like about Cratermaze. It's a solid game that's a lot of fun to play. It's got above average visuals and some really terrific sound effects to accentuate it all. While the game doesn't offer much in the way of innovation, it does manage to execute its game play style to perfection and the result is an addictively simple puzzler that will keep you coming back for more. Cratermaze isn't going to appeal to everyone, but I encourage gamers to at least give this one a try before you quickly dismiss its simple appearance. It's easily worth the 600 Wii Points it's going for on the Virtual Console and a game that might just become a real sleeper hit for the service as well.