Hexic HD (Xbox Live Arcade)

First and foremost, it is important to precise the following: Most people who play Hexic HD will not have to pay for it, as it is a free game that comes packed in with the Xbox 360 console (or at least did when I purchased mine). Therefore the idea of value for money is based purely on the value for those who purchase it as part of any other arrangement.

The brainchild of Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov, Hexic HD is a game that is both simple to learn and hard to master. Reworking the traditional "match 3" mechanic found in games such as Bejewelled, Hexic works in hexagonal movement.

Players match clusters of 3 or more hexagons in order to score points.
Bonuses are available in the form of Starflowers, available by arranging six hexagons of the same cluster around a central point. This then gives the player the ability to rotate the hexagons immediately around the flower, which can give handy bonuses. Players can then obtain black pearls by repeating this pattern with Starflowers.

The modes available are Marathon mode, Survival mode and Timed mode. Marathon mode serves the purpose of the standard score attack variation on a match 3 game, and offers a sufficient challenge to interest puzzle enthusiasts.

Survival mode offers the same mechanic, but with an added twist: any tiles you have left over at the end of the level (those which you cannot make disappear) are locked until the next level, where a match is necessary to unlock the tile and allow that column to move again.

Timed mode is more or less what you'd expect. With ever combo you make, you allow another second to be added to your time. This is perhaps the most frantic of the modes, although the game retains sufficient pace to allow you to enjoy it at a speed that is comfortable on any difficulty level.

If I have one gripe with this game, it is that the game can go from being easy to stupidly difficult from level to level. This, coupled with timed bombs that explode after a certain number of moves, add to a gripe with the game.
However, don't misunderstand. Hexic HD would be a bargain at 800 Microsoft Points, but is even more of a bargain as a free game on the Xbox 360.

One last thing, just to give you an idea of how addictive this game is: When I brought my 360 home for the first time, I had with it a copy of Gears of War and Dead Rising. Nevertheless, which game do you think was my most played game for the first fortnight? If you guess "Hexic HD", you are right.