HypnoBlocks offers 3-D block matching challenge

HypnoBlocks from venerable Mac and iOS developers Ambrosia Software is a new block-matching challenge game for the iPad. It's a fun game if a little nerve-wracking as the action gets faster and faster over time.

You're presented with a number of cubes. Your job is to select matching cubes. They don't have to be touching, there's no set number like connect-4-blocks-in-a-row as in other matching games.

As soon as you touch the first block, you set a color. You then have to touch as many other matching colors as you can. When the timer runs out (in a second or two, it's really fast), the matching color blocks clear.

More blocks keep coming in from off-screen and you need to drag on the display to rotate the blocks so you can find matching items that are otherwise hidden.

Making things harder are challenge items like spikes. You're penalized for touching them, so you have to be careful during the game while still minding your remaining time.

There is a very small Pause button at the bottom left of the game screen, which you'll probably want to use every now and then to catch your breath. The game runs in portrait only and as a new product does have a few quirks. You cannot opt out of the high score records, and the game will keep buzzing at you until you enter some name, for example.

The production values for the game are high. There's quality art and music supporting the core game-play which is both simple and challenging. I enjoyed playing it although it's somewhat frantic nature is not something I think I'm going to add to my permanent game rotation.

HypnoBlocks is currently $.99 at iTunes. It's slated to rise to $1.99 once the universal version is released.