Reviews are out of four stars.

'Lumines'

On the fence about buying Sony's new PlayStation Portable system? Getting the opportunity to take on this brilliant, can't-put-it-down puzzle package might just be the factor that sways you to dip into your wallet.

"Lumines" (Ubisoft; $40; Rated E) will remind you of "Tetris," requiring you to manipulate, match and move out colored blocks before they fill the screen completely. But its glowing graphics, frenetic gameplay and clever soundtrack combine to create a puzzle game that's no mere "Tetris" clone but a potential classic on its own merits.

One of 24 games to debut last week for the handheld PSP system, "Lumines" is among the best of a strong bunch. That's a pleasant surprise, given that it contains no guns, no cars, no fighting and no content that you wouldn't want a child to view.

Hypnotic and deceptively simple at first, "Lumines" requires you to shuffle falling rectangles that each contain four colored blocks and to match those blocks with others already on the screen. Mix four like-colored blocks correctly, then watch the vertical time line move across the screen and wipe away the combinations you've formed.

Sound easy? Sure does. But like all great puzzle games, "Lumines" ups the ante by speeding up the gameplay, tossing in different blocks and cutting down on the time you get to make your moves. And your eyes and brain will have a rough time staying focused on just those blocks, thanks to all of the distracting but beautiful eye and ear candy packed into this game.

Vivid, silhouette-like backgrounds emerge, fade and morph behind the falling blocks, creating fresh views as you advance to new levels. Japanese dance tunes provide stimulating accompaniment that intuitively surges when gameplay grows more intense. Awash as it is with visual and aural pleasures, "Lumines" offers a promising remedy for particularly stressful days.

Don't feel like playing alone? Then seek out and pit your block-busting skills against others in versus mode, which allows you to use the PSP's Wi-Fi capability to compete against other PSP owners. As much psychedelic kaleidoscope as brainteaser, "Lumines" is well nigh impossible to put down once you've played a few times and developed the skills to stay alive for more than a level or two.

-- Cindi Lash, Post-Gazette staff writer

'Gretzky NHL'

It looks like hockey, sounds like hockey, plays like virtual hockey -- so it must be hockey. But, man, the players are the size of crickets, which is kind of freaky. This made-for-PSP Gretzky title (989 Sports; $40; Rated E) plays a bit better than the enclosed test version for the NBA game, but nothing in such a maiden market is without flaws.

We found a few glitches, what with wandering goaltenders, a player who once somehow scored underneath the back of the net and -- huh? -- the sportsmanlike Vincent Lecavlier of Tampa Bay getting into a fight. And the game's artificial intelligence is inconsistent.

The little hockey players reacted better to the controls than did the little NBAers (who were occasionally unresponsive), but then this wider-screen PSP thing will take a little getting used to. The Gretzky game-makers admirably installed different views to maximize use of the screen and also linked sound to picture well.

If nothing else, at least the PSP puts the NHL in your hands and removes it from any real-life bickering between the owners and the players' union.

-- Chuck Finder, Post-Gazette staff writer