Trying to keep track of all the cute puzzle games that Taito have made over the years is a formidable task- they've made dozens of them, and that means some inevitably get forgotten. Pop n' Pop is such a game, which is a shame- it's a great puzzler that's often described as Space Invaders meets Puzzle Bobble/Bust-a-Move. As one of nine Taito characters (like Tiki from The New Zealand Story) with different strengths, weaknesses and special items, your task is simple- the playing field is a bunch of clouds covered with balloons. You're given an infinite supply of balloons- two at a time- which you can arrange horizontally and vertically, and you fire them upwards, trying to match 3 of the same colour to make them explode, like every other puzzle game ever made. However, the clouds slowly move from one side of the screen to the other, and drop down a level when they hit the edge- if the balloons get past the deadline, it's game over. That probably sounds familiar, because it's exactly like Space Invaders, and this is what makes Pop n' Pop a much more challenging game than other puzzlers- you need to be a keen marksman to make sure that your balloons hit their constantly moving target, and even worse, your character can be fired at by enemies hiding in the clouds, which makes you automatically fire your balloons. That's not even mentioning the multitude of special balloons and the surprisingly tough boss fights... The Playstation version is a huge improvement over the arcade game- as well as adding in a few extra characters, and keeping the standard puzzle and vs. modes, this port has extras like the challenge mode (try and survive for 50 stages) and the fiendish checkmate mode, where you're given a limited supply of balloons- some of the later puzzles are maddening! Taito fans and puzzle nuts alike really need to track down a copy of this excellent game- it's a simple concept that works wonderfully, and once you start playing, it's hard to put down.