SPB Quads looks easy, and that’s where it hooks you in. In this addictive puzzle game for Nokia touch-enabled devices, all you have to do is find squares that are the same color, so that if you put four corners together, they would form a rectangle which causes them to pop or explode on screen. Simple right? Not so fast.

While some of the rectangles – or quads – are easy to find (the same colors are all next to one another), the bigger challenge – and the real point value – comes from finding those corners of a rectangle that are spread across the board from one another, so you have to really look at the entire playing area to find the best possible options.

This video from the developers at Saint Petersburg, Russia-based Spb Software shows a quick demo of how the game works (OK, it’s not on a Nokia device, but you’ll get the right idea):

As you can see, there are two modes of game play: a timed game, where you have got to hurry to score enough points to move on to the next level; and a free-play mode (called “Ever Quad”) where you can pace yourself, and really have a look around before making your move. And, even without glancing at the Help section of the game, you can easily jump right in and start having fun.

SPB Quads has the look and feel of other color-matching, grid-based games, but don’t be fooled. While it may be easy to find cubes forming rectangles that are close to one another, it takes some visual clarity to find the best results.

In addition to finding matching cubes that can be used as the basis of forming your rectangles, you will encounter a wide range of bonus cubes that help you to maximize your results, including dynamite, freeze (or ice), a X2 bonus that doubles points, a time freeze bonus, the atom bomb – which inflicts serious damage to nearby cubes. The Help section of the game explains all of these options in detail.

The bonus cube that I think is the most helpful is the all-knowing eye, which will highlight the corners of the largest available rectangle on screen at that point in the game – it is often much larger than you might have simply seen on your own. (See how the green cubes below show a white circle indicating the corners of the rectangle?)

The game is extremely smooth to play, and the animation is fast and appropriately explosive. There is also a good mix of music and sound effects within the game, and volume controls built in to the game options, so you can play quietly if you want.

Now, as you can see, I have been playing using the free “Lite” version of the game on my Nokia N97 mini, which is noted in very small type at the top of the screen, but not in an obtrusive way. And, from this free version, you will be presented with the opportunity to go get the paid version of the game. Why upgrade? Well, the free version is only a few levels, but it is enough to get you hooked – and happily, it isn’t a limited time trial. The paid version, however, promises 100 levels of game play as well as three additional types of bonus cubes, and you can also post/share your high scores on the SPB website.

SPB Quads Free is a great way to get started with this game; and then when you start to crave more, the paid version of SPB Quads is only $4.99 (USD) in Ovi Store.

For more information, please visit the Spb Software website.