It doesn’t take much guess-work from the title to figure out that the core mechanic revolves around interacting with blocks using the Wii Remote.The player can rotate the screen using the B button to get the best viewpoint and is able to line up shots to throw balls, grab hold of blocks to move them into position, or swipe them away. Precision is paramount, and aided by holding the A button to lock the cursor over the block that the player wants to affect, before using motions of the remote for the desired action. This includes: throwing motions to toss a ball, a flick of the wrist to toss blocks aside, or a chaotic whirling action to swing them around. While these have all been seen in various Wii games, those in Boom Blox are all well thought out and responsive, so there’s no fear of accuracy or manoeuvrability being hampered when you need it the most.

This control, coupled with the game's physics system, gives actions a suitable weight and responsiveness that makes them extremely satisying. You may do it numerous times, but it never gets tiring to power-slam a ball into an elaborate block structure, watching as it starts to creek and teeter ominously, before toppling over and spilling blocks everywhere. The same applies for skilfully removing supporting pillars while leaving the rest of the structure standing, giving the sense of smug satisfaction usually reserved for expert table cloth-swipers.

Aside from the plain blocks which underpin basic structures, there are several other variations. Gem blocks are seen as the precious commodity of the game and shatter when knocked over. The explosive blocks marked with a bomb symbol do the obvious and scatter everything within range when they’re hit. Purple blocks disappear when struck, and are usually strategically placed to help topple things. Green chemical blocks cause an explosive chain reaction when they come into contact with one another. Grab blocks can be held and manipulated, sliding them out from under structures or just flinging them around.

Of course all the blocks and combinations in the world wouldn’t be much fun without some sort of structure to the proceedings, and single player consists of two main modes: Explorer and Adventure. In 'Explorer' various objectives must be completed for each block type, such as toppling structures within a set number of throws, or totally demolishing a structure against the clock. 'Adventure' includes a storyline featuring various cuboid animals with scenarios being split into three parts, each with different objectives.In the medieval level this might include gathering gem blocks by knocking them off their perches, before defending your stash from opponents by dropping bombs on them. The Aztec levels have you manipulating various parts of the level against the clock in order to guide a mother Gorilla back to her children; the next stage having you wreak havoc on those that stole them in the first place. While the cute little animals - with their dubious rhyming cut scenes - are little more than superfluous window dressing, it’s clear they serve some purpose in helping facilitate different variations in the game types.

If Boom Blox has a failing, it’s that Adventure mode’s latter missions seem to run out of ideas. Much of the final quarter consists of little more than protecting characters by using the remote as a gun to shoot incoming blocks, or pushing back advancing enemies. While the aiming retains the rest of the game's accuracy, the actual shots are strangely unresponsive, strikingly at odds with everything else. This does improve during the final levels, where the idea switches from basic protection to escorting, but the frustrating introduction manages to taint the feature, reducing it to little more than a disappointing inclusion compared to everything else.

Success during levels is graded by meeting the requirements of Gold, Silver or Bronze. Unlike some games, no matter how elaborate a setup or impossible it may seem, the criteria for a Gold medal is always obtainable. It manages to instil both a real sense of fun and a desire to return to each level to make sure you knock down that structure in one throw, or take out the maximum number of score-point blocks. Boom Blox is one of those rare titles that, although challenging, never feels insurmountable. The frustration-factor is negligible and the desire to keep trying is there until you nail it. Striking the right balance between whole-sale destruction and near-surgical precision, the game realises the importance of both, and happily flits between mastering the two approaches in order to succeed. And when you do, there’s a sense of real satisfaction and achievement, which only starts to falter slightly during the last few aforementioned stages of Adventure mode.

Completing levels unlocks gift-items which can then be used in the games Create mode. This is where the player can start to have fun building their own challenges or just editing existing ones. The placement of blocks, scenery and characters is done intuitively using the on-screen point-and-click toolbar. Once your masterpiece is finished it can be played with to your heart's content and shared with people over WiiConnect24. For the same reason that it’s fun to smash sandcastles - especially other people's and the more elaborate the better - Create mode works and is a nice addition to mess around with.

Although single-player consists of around 300 levels, it follows the phrase that "time flies when you’re having fun" and ends up feeling a lot shorter because of it. The multi-player 'Party' mode expands the solo-game by offering around 100 levels of versus or co-operative play. For example, games can be split between sharing a remote, or simultaneous split-screen action. There’s a lot of fun to be had with games of virtual Jenga (with the added bonus of not having the arguments and tedium of re-stacking the tower each time) or the fort-attack mode, where each player attempts to be first to totally demolish the other's block fort.

The ideas behind it may be simplistic, but their excellent execution is what makes Boom Blox so much fun. Its presentation and implementation make it easy to pick up and approachable by any age group; this is enjoyable, easy-going fun at its best.