Game Review: World of Goo

Nicole Bowman - Knight Ridder/Tribune

Black Goo. Green-striped goo. Water goo. Balloon goo.

So much goo, and so many ways to move it in "World of Goo."

The game, available for computers and the Nintendo Wii is a puzzler that is highly addictive.

"World of Goo" is divided in to chapters, each of which is divided into several games. In each game your objective is simple, build a structure out of goo.

The goo are cute, little balls that react when you move them. Some link together and stand in place. Others like being moved around. Some are like water or balloons and either drop straight down or float.

You build structures so the leftover goo moves toward a pipe that sends the goo to the factory. At the factory, you can go online and compare your goo feats with that of other players.

During each level, there is a set amount of goo from which to build. The player must have enough goo left over to reach the level's objective. In the menu, players can see the "OCD" objective, which is for those who want a little more of a challenge. In some levels, players are required to build bridges without support columns in the middle. Or the structure may have to go around an obstacle.

Structures sway as the unused goo slides along it, applying pressure everywhere you don't want it to. Little signs at each level give you hints on how to achieve your goals. Sure the sign says "This is easier than it looks" but it's not really ... at least I didn't think so when I was playing.

If the going gets tough, you can skip games. As you progress along in the chapters, you have fewer chances to skip games.

"World of Goo" is fun, because it's so different from all the other puzzle games out there. You can see the difference right at the get-go, when your cursor turns into a dark blob that leaves a trail wherever you move. The quirky music and noise the goo balls make is fun and never gets boring or grating.

And the Sign Painter's work, which can be found as the hints on every level, is often amusing as well as telling. And the goo is fun to play with, to see how high you can build something. You can to think, but not think too hard. If you don't move quickly enough, your structure will collapse.

After a while, you can't help but think of ways to move goo all the time.

Anyone who likes puzzle games must try "World of Goo."

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Copyright 2009 by Knight Ridder/Tribune