Some games are difficult to review - you just don't know where to start. After weeks I've determined the most difficult element of writing a review about Puzzle Quest. It's pausing the game long enough to actually write something.

Puzzle Quest is a fantasy adventure game set in the world of Etheria. You are a young hero, in service to Queen Gwendholyn of the Kingdom of Bartonia. As you take up challenges for your Queen, you will face mortal peril, acquire treasures, hone your skills, and build your citadel - making your mark upon the very world in which you live.

If you long to be a fantasy hero (or someone not quite so heroic), Puzzle Quest might well be the game for you.

Puzzle Quest is a game to challenge your logic and puzzling skills. Battle your computer opponent by matching sets of three or more pieces while preventing your opponent from doing the same. You have to think beyond your current move or you could well engineer your own defeat.

If you want to match your wits against the computer (or other people in multi-player modes) and prove that you can out-think, out-play and out-wit your opponent, Puzzle Quest might well be the game for you.

It may sound like I'm describing two completely different games, but I assure you, I am not. Both styles of gaming are integrated beautifully in what has become one of my all time favorite games. This is the game I gift to casual gamers that would never dream of playing an adventure game. This is the game I would give to a fantasy gamer that thinks there's nothing for them in the casual game world. And just how did this fantasy game peanut butter get into the casual game chocolate? I don't know, but it tastes fantastic!

As I start a gaming session, I have choices to make. I can begin a new quest, continue an existing quest, jump straight into the action in single player mode, go to multiplayer LAN mode, multiplayer internet mode, adjust my settings, see my single player high scores, see my multiplayer high scores or quit.

If I'm going to start a new quest, I first need to create a new character. I can be a druid, knight, warrior or wizard. Each type of character has areas of strength and weakness. Each will have their own set of special abilities and spells. There's a little description of the basics of each class (which truthfully, didn't mean that much to me until I'd jumped in and played a bit). I have four picture choices for each class - two male and two female. I really appreciated that the female adventurers looked like adventurers - not pinup models out for a stroll. I can accept one of the generated names or give my character a name of my choosing. Just for future reference, I've found that while I only play one character at a time, I can make as many different characters as I want. I like this because each of the classes has a different play style that affects how you approach the puzzles - and I want to experience them all.

I especially appreciated that the games saves your adventures as you go. You can pick it up, complete as much or as little as you want to accomplish, and then exit. The designers don't decide when you get to save your game, you do! You can easily switch characters by going to the single player screen. If you're in a hurry to get started, go right to the continue quest option and you'll pick up with the last character you were playing, right where you left off.

In between the story of heroics, duty, and honor (which you can skip if you really want to), you will address your challenges on the puzzle grid. The basic puzzle grid contains a random assortment of green runes - earth, yellow runes - air, red runes - fire, blue runes - water, purple stars - experience, gold coins - cash, and skulls and burning skulls - attacks.

Match three or more of the same colored rune and earn mana that you'll use to cast spells (or invoke special abilities). Earn enough experience and your character can learn new skills and abilities; with cash you can buy things or information. The skulls send direct damage against the health of your opponent. Burning skulls explode and take out everything within one square - giving you the benefit of everything in the blast. If you have enough burning skulls within range, you can set off some really awesome chain reactions.

This is where your character class affects your puzzle style. Druids are strongest in yellow and green mana. Their magic spells are more about healing and nature. Knights are about damage and direct melee, though they have special heroic attacks. There are actually five orders of knights (Bartonian, Sirian, Elenian, Theitan and Gildine) and you will learn about each philosophy and decide which order best suits you. The warrior is all concentrates on red mana and pummeling things into submission. The wizard's focus is on red and yellow mana and has some really nice damage spells. Your wizard won't necessarily have as much health as a fighter class, but boy can they hit hard.

Along with the regular matching of colors, you have to keep in mind that you're taking turns with your opponent. Make sure the really cool match for you doesn't set up a potentially devastating attack your opponent can launch right back at you. As you clear your sets, pieces drop down in the grid and new pieces drop in from above. If you match a set of four, you get an extra turn. Match five and you'll gain an extra turn plus a wildcard piece. If you get a cascade of five or more sets in a row, you get a nice experience bonus for making a heroic effort. Sometimes you'll get extra turns for making matches with pieces in your area of strength. And this doesn't even take into consideration any special abilities you use or spells you cast in addition to the moves you make on the puzzle grid.

Just the battle with opponents through the puzzles would have kept my interest, but yes, there's more. In the capital of Bartonia you can build yourself a citadel. Once you earn enough cash to commission a new building, you unlock new options in the game. If you build a dungeon - once you've defeated a type of opponent three times - you earn the option to capture them. If you then build a mage tower, you can learn spells from your captured enemies. Build a stable and you can train a captured mount (and the mount has abilities that help you in battle). The forge lets you use runes to create magical items. If you build a siege workshop you can attack other cities, and if you defeat them - these battles are really tough - they become vassal states and send you tribute. A temple lets you use cash to improve your skills. Towers reduce the chance of rebellion in captured cities. The vault increases your income. And finally, build a statue and be proclaimed King or Queen and get a +5 to morale.

The challenges in your citadel will be variations of the standard puzzle grid. If you want to capture an opponent, you'll have a pattern of pieces on the screen. You have to move them in such a way as to clear every piece to win. Rumor has it there are online guides that can help with these capture challenges. Training a mount requires that you defeat progressively stronger opponents in progressively smaller periods of time. In using runes to forge items, you have to clear special hammer and anvil pieces from the screen. Spell research has you clear a specified number of each type of mana, plus special scroll pieces that are only created by making four or five of a kind matches on the screen.

You'll have a lovely map (that you can scroll around by moving the mouse to the edges of the screen). Go to a place and click it and some number of options might come up. In cities you can listen for rumors in the tavern, go shopping, check out your inventory, get quests (and visit your citadel in your home town). You are allowed four active quests at one time. You'll know a city has quests for you by the blue or green exclamation point above it on the map. Areas where you go for quests have green sparklies around them.

In this game, more so than many others, the old axiom, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" truly applies. If you lose a battle you can immediately try again. You'll always know how much experience you need to level. If you feel hopelessly outmatched by an opponent, just focus on getting as many experience matches as you can out of the battle. Of course I never assume I'm going to lose. Even if the opponent has significantly more health than I, I keep plugging away. Sometimes I get a good run and surprise myself with a victory. Keep in mind that solving quests and winning battles generally give extra experience, cash and sometimes yummy items. In addition, some spots that don't have specific quests might give you a chance to search for runes that you can use back at your citadel to make new magic items.

Time does pass as you travel in the game. Once you build your citadel you'll periodically earn money when you return to Bartonia. After acquiring a mount, you can move across the map somewhat faster - it really depends on the mount. There are times when you'll run into an opponent on the road during your travels. I'm told that with superior quality mounts you even have the option to avoid these battles if you wish.

While each character has the same basic beginning, Puzzle Quest does not force you down a gaming rail. You decide which quests you want to take and in which order. You'll know if a quest is a main storyline quest, but you can choose to take it, or not. There are many points in the story where you're given a choice of actions. Do you deliver the princess to her forced marriage or do you heed her impassioned plea and take her to a town where she may safely go free? You really can decide how heroic you want to be. If you want to choose greed and selfishness, you are given that option. Some choices will earn you companions that aid you in your journey. Some choices could open up some quest lines while closing others. Decisions, decisions …

If you just want a quick and dirty challenge (or simply grind for experience), go to single player, pick an opponent from the list, and jump right into battle. It's all up to you.

Normally I would try to list any downsides I've experienced in my latest game, but that's not really possible with this one. The only thing I can come up with for Puzzle Quest is that it draws me in and makes me want to finish "just one more quest" and then I'm up too late and having way too much fun.

Why are you still reading? I love the game. I love the graphics. The music and sound effects are perfect. Go out and buy a copy already and start playing!