Cheats-Area.com

   So you don't have a PlayStation Portable, so what? You can still play this Lumines II demo on your PC, either online or offline, thanks to the "demo tool" we received today. It may not be quite like the real thing, but it should give you a pretty good idea about what Tetsuya Mizuguchi's addictive arcade sequel is all about. The Lumines II "demo" is only 5 MB in size, and it includes a few playing fields and five music tracks, embedded in a PSP-like interface (you use the arrow keys and Space bar to play).

   You can play it offline in any old browser of yours (just make sure to let it display Flash objects, if you're using Internet Explorer), or you can also play it online on the Lumines II website. If you're having trouble finding it, the link is in the Game Info section, in the lower-right corner - "Lumines II Taster Version". Or better yet, here's the direct link.

   Lumines II was released earlier this month on the PSP by Buena Vista Games, after being developed by the same team from Q Entertainment, headed by producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi. In it, gamers control squares made of four smaller block pieces that are dropped into the playing field one at a time to form same-color squares (yes, think Tetris, but with a twist and plenty of musical infusions). The vertical "timeline" sweeps across the playing field from left to right and wipes the same-color squares from the playing field. Unmatched blocks pile up, and the game ends when the pile gets to the top of the playing screen. Advance through many action-packed levels, each with its own musical theme and sound effects.

   If you missed it last week, we also have a video interview with Tetsuya Mizuguchi you can stream or download locally. Actually better stream it, cause the original is nearly 300 MB in size!

   Now then, where was I? Ah yes, beating my lousy 19,000 high score in the demo...