Audiosurf is, at its core, a puzzle game. You select a character and then ride their vehicle down a track generated by the game engine collecting blocks on a grid. Depending on the character you pick, the gameplay differs. The ?mono? character courses only have two blocks, colored blocks that should be collected and grey blocks that should be avoided. Grey blocks fill in spaces and prevent colored blocks from occupying them. They remain there until they fall apart after a short while. Colored blocks disappear when matched up with three or more other colored blocks and give you points based on how many are matched. Other game types have more colored blocks. The warmer the block color the higher its point value. If one of the columns of the grid becomes full and then overflows, it immediately empties, the player takes a drastic point reduction, and their character becomes unable to collect more blocks for a short amount of time.

Audiosurf can be purchased on Steam for a measly $9.95, well worth the price. As an added bonus, the entire Orange Box soundtrack is included with the purchase, which alone is worth the price of the entire game. After purchase, free updates can be downloaded from Steam any time they are released.

Audiosurf is arguably one of the best indie puzzle games of its time. With the huge success of other rhythm games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band, it?s safe to assume that Audiosurf will go a long way. With updates from Steam and a decent music library, it will keep you occupied for hours on end. As long as there is new music, there will always be new tracks to play. Audiosurf is also a very clean game. Aside from the music the user uses in the game, there isn?t much opportunity for objectionable content. Audiosurf is a very child-friendly game that everyone should find enjoyable with their own specific musical tastes.

» By Daniel Straite, Plain Games. Published 3/27/2008 3:18:20 PM.