Meteos and ‘The House of Mouse’ undoubtedly make very peculiar bedfellows, and the act of shoehorning the licence into the existing blueprint has not been entirely successful. On the plus side the two screens of the DS are packed with plenty of vibrant colour and movement. The touch screen obviously remains the focal point with various animations and scenes playing out on the second screen depending on how the player is performing, but when things become tense it’s unlikely that you will have time to appreciate these little vignettes (a fact that the developers are obviously aware of as they have been included as unlockable extras). Each stage has a distinct Disney theme, ranging from Toy Story to Winnie the Pooh and Pirates of the Caribbean. The general quality is excellent throughout but unfortunately the wide variation in themes contained within results in a package that never really gels in the same way the original did. Woody, Buzz, Simba and Stitch may well entice a new generation of gamers into the Meteos fold, but usurping the aliens of the original in order to incorporate Disney characters actually works against the game in many ways – the concept behind the ‘Meteos’ brand was that aliens were repelling meteors showering down on their planet’s surface, but in this update things are left largely unexplained and it therefore lacks the cohesion of the first title. To the vast majority of puzzle addicts this will represent an almost insignificant issue, but hardcore Meteos fans, so enamoured with the near clean and near faultless production of the original, will no doubt be mightily aggrieved.

Aside from the jarring transformation in aesthetics, the most obvious alteration in Meteos: Disney Magic is the fact that the DS must now be held sideways (ala Brain Training) in order to play. The upshot of this is a much-improved ‘zoomed in’ view of the action as the playing area is tall rather than wide. Why the developers didn’t pick up on this for the first game is unknown but at least it has given them a truly innovative selling point for the sequel. Everything now appears bigger and moving things around with the stylus is much easier – there were more than a few complaints levelled at the original thanks to the rather diminutive nature of the blocks. The change of orientation has compelled a reshuffle of on-screen and control options – for example, to speed up the fall of blocks the player now has to push left on the d-pad (which, when holding the DS sideways, appears as down to the player) rather than tapping a particular part of the display or pressing the shoulder trigger, as was the case before.

Another major adjustment for hardcore fans to become accustomed to is the ability to drag blocks horizontally as well as vertically. Purists may be upset by this and initially it is somewhat jarring, making the game feel almost too different, but within the space of a few hours playtime it begins to feel totally natural. Fears that it would make the game too easy are largely unfounded – when the action gets frantic it merely grants the player more flexibility and actually makes things much more interesting and exciting. For those who aren’t convinced, they will be relieved to hear that the fiendishly difficult ‘Expert Mode’ offers the chance to revert back to vertical movement only. Changes aside, the same instantly appealing play mechanics are all present and correct with players being called on to drag and match trios of cascading coloured blocks in order to propel them skyward and off the top of the screen. Each stage has different gravity and large groups of blocks will often require a combination of additional ‘boosts’ whilst they are airborne in order to achieve sufficient propulsion to clear the top of the playing area. When playing in multiplayer mode, jettisoned blocks are dropped onto your opponent, causing them all sorts of mischief. If the blocks reach the top of the screen, it’s game over.

The addition of special abilities is a neat twist – for example, one such power slows down the descent of the blocks allowing the player extra time to plan their strategy and organise their pile; another gives the player’s blocks a nitro boost ensuring that they clear the top of the screen with ease. Individual ‘special’ blocks also appear – double-tapping one of these has a variety of effects depending on the flavour – the most useful variant can be placed at the bottom of your pile and will propel all blocks above it skyward; another changes the colour of blocks on-screen in order to make it easier to create successful chains. These additions never overstep their mark – the developers were wise enough to understand that the concept of Meteos is so pure it would be unwise to tinker with it too much. Instead they have been shrewd enough to retain the brilliance whilst at the same time augment the gameplay with neat little extras - as a result the game remains as fantastically addictive as the previous incarnation.

The multiplayer options afforded by the first Meteos were impressive back in 2005, but that was a time when DS owners were still being amazed by wireless game sharing. The same options are offered here, but sadly the developers have failed to build on them. The addition of online play would have truly been the icing on the cake but for reasons only known by the people who crafted this fine piece of software, it has been ignored. With so many recent DS releases supporting the online capabilities of the machine it’s bitterly disappointing, but by no means catastrophic. If you tend to dabble in multiplayer only when in close proximity of friends then the options available here will be more than enough.

Ultimately, whatever your outlook on the works of Walt Disney Studios, it would be foolish to let petty prejudices get in the way of what is one of the more impressive and satisfying updates DS owners have experienced in quite some time. Yes, the licensing aspect is off-putting but the guts of the game are still thankfully intact and the modifications introduced by the developer undoubtedly improve the core game. Unshackled from the limitations of ‘vertical-only’ movement, this update is more intuitive than its predecessor and turning the DS ninety degrees is a wonderful touch too. Although Meteos: Disney Magic is likely to make many older gamers blush with embarrassment when playing it on public transport, it’s enough of an update on the first title to make a worthwhile purchase and should be considered by any DS-owning puzzle fan looking for their next fix.