Puzzle games can be rather tricky on the mind. But that can really be a good thing, as it allows you to really get to learn the basics of a game and then put them to good use as later levels become harder and harder. Some of the best puzzle games on the market work this way, and Archer Maclean's Mercury happily falls into this category.

The game basically puts you in control of a large blob of some sort, a gel-like substance that you must get from point A to point B in a maze with the help of tilting the overall platform in the right directions and using camera angles to your advantage. The game starts you off slowly with a basic tutorial package, and then, as you proceed through the 70+ levels that the game provides, the difficulty rises.

Soon you're using such tactics as splitting up your blob into different figures, avoiding blob-munching creatures that pursue you through a maze, avoiding pratfalls that can knock you over the edge (if you lose too much of your blob, you fail the stage), and even spray painting your blob in different colors and then combining them to get through doors and to activate different sensors.

Mercury is a lot more fun than it appears to be. The gameplay is as basic as they come but the game still remains a hearty challenge, especially in later levels, where platforms are so ridiculously skinny it's unbelievable. The graphics maintain a beautiful look, especially with the animation involved of the blob. It acts just like a real gel would, right down to the physics. The stage detail is excellent, and the music that accompanies each stage (over 70 tunes in all) is soothing.

With all sorts of modes to progress through and a competitive two player mode that can be played through Wi-Fi, Archer Maclean's Mercury is a solid pick for your PSP...and that's hard to say when the hero in the game is anything but solid. Recommended for all ages.