Concentrix
from Scalene Software

Wow… what a cool looking game! That was my first thought when I saw this game. Its so eye appealing, it’s incredible. The colors really stand out above the rest. It’s truly nothing you’ve seen before. Now… how do I play? Well… in general, it’s a kind of variation of game Tetris, but this is for the 21st century. I love Tetris, but it’s over 20 years old. It’s time to grow up and stop playing with Blocks! This was created and it was time for something new and exciting. Scalene Software introduces Concentrix. Version 1.0 came with six games. They have recently released version 1.1 which includes two more games for a total of EIGHT! All updates are free for life.

The included games are:

• RingTrix – Tri-color rings, match three of the same color in a stack
• RadTrix – Tri-color rings, slicing like scissors when rotated
• CoolTrix – Tri-color broken rings, rotating each quadrant individually
• BlokTrix – Tetrad shapes with four colors fall, rotating
• Tetrix – Tetrad shapes fall rotating in place
• Dr. Trix – Bound cell pairs fall, rotating in place, match four blocks TriTrix – Triad shapes fall, rotating in place, create rings to destroy
• RainTrix – Triad shapes with three colors, match three colors (even diagonal)

TriTrix	BlokTrix	CoolTrix	Dr. Trix
RadTrix	RainTrix	RingTrix	Tetrix

I know that might sound a bit confusing, but believe me… they are all very different games. The basic idea is to match three (or four in some games) colors or create rings to make them disappear. Each game is just as addicting as the original Tetris game. It might take a little bit of getting used to, but once you figure it out, you’ll be hooked.

There are several ways to control the game. You can use the stylus and point at the four corners to rotate and flip the pieces around, or you can use the D-Pad. However there doesn’t seem to be a stylus option for dropping the pieces into place immediately (like pressing down) NOTE: This is fixed in an update. The option screen has several features like changing some of the buttons and adjusting the volume. You can also invert the controls for rotating the pieces.

My personal favorite is one of the new games, RainTrix. In all of the games, the ‘blocks’, which are really sections of a circle, expand from the center of the screen. You can rotate them around and pushing up on the D-Pad will flip them around so the colors appear in different areas. Pushing down on the D-Pad will make them slip into place. You seem to get more points for doing that. What makes RainTrix different from the rest is the pieces will fall to the outer ring without leaving empty spaces. This makes it easier in some fashion, but a little more difficult in others. I’m sure you’ll find a favorite game out of the eight included versions.

The game sells for $9.95. That’s a great deal for eight fantastic games! You can’t pass up that deal. That’s only a $1.25 per game!

Now… one feature I haven’t mentioned yet, and this is so cool. You can download games played by other high scoring individuals and replay their game on your device! All you have to do is go to their site and click on the SCORES page. Then you right click the score you want to save. Save it to your PC and then copy it to the same directory where the game is stored on the Pocket PC. Rename the file to ‘playback.dat’, when you select to start a new game, the saved game will be played back. Just remember to delete the playback.dat file so you can play your own game. If you forget, you’ll just be able to watch the game being played. It’s one cool feature. You can also upload your scores and saved games by clicking on HIGH SCORES on the Pocket PC. It will give you the ability to upload all of your high scores for others to download and watch. All you need is your Pocket PC connected to the Internet and Concentrix will do the rest. Even if you aren’t into uploading your scores, just check your own high scores and click on the score, you can watch the game play itself. It will replay every move you made. I downloaded Marc’s game to see exactly how to play the game. It’s a fantastic way to understand the fundamentals of the game.

The game play is smooth and the music is wonderful. It’s a real zippy MOD file that makes you want to tap your foot. The game runs in full screen mode, however you can minimize it and lower the system volume if necessary by using the symbols in the upper right hand corner. This helps when you’re playing at work! ? Not that any of us do that. Built in help screens tell you how to play each game and is very helpful.

If you like Tetris, give this game a try. Once you figure it all out, you’ll be hooked. It’s a game that you’ll definitely want installed on your device. Registration is simple. Just go into the ABOUT screen and enter the registration number. Each device has it’s own ID and must be sent to the company for registration. The demo will play for only a short while, but it won’t last long enough to really get good at this game! Go check it out and download a trial copy today. I’m sure you’ll want to add this game to your collection.

The game takes only about 1.3 MB of space and works great on a storage card. It requires an ARM or X-Scale processor. It played fine on my Samsung i700 Pocket PC Phone. Try it or buy it here. The full version of the game is $9.95. Upload those high scores and show the world how good you really are!

Update to version 1.1.1
This new version adds an additional feature to stylus gameplay. Now you can tap anywhere in the game play area to slam the pieces into place. This increases the score. In the older version, you had to press the down arrow. Now you can play the full game without ever pressing the D-Pad. This is great to people who love games that work totally by the stylus.

Special thanks to Marc Lepage for sending us a full version to review.
This game was tested by Club Pocket PC Louisville on a Samsung i700 Pocket PC Phone edition (which worked wonderfully)