While the Wiis motion controls are a breath of fresh air in a gaming world where shallow sequels dominate the charts, only a handful of developers have so far managed to master the unique interface of Nintendos new console. But with Mercury Meltdown Revolution, the developers have demonstrated an innate understanding of the motion controls and how to use them in a gripping, intuitive way, in turn creating the best and most enjoyable version of its action puzzler to date.
The simple action finds players rolling a blob of mercury from one side of a level to another, with the Wii Remote used to tilt the landscapes and send your silvery droplet wobbling in the right direction. And while many of the earliest Wii games put players at the bottom of a steep learning curve that often seemed insurmountable, the sensitivity of the controls in MMR is perfectly pitched and the physics of the levels consistent and logical, making it a cinch to understand what needs to be done and allowing players to instantly get stuck into the action.
Without a movie licence, Premiership footballers or armoury of kill-crazy weapons, its unlikely that MMR will reach a mass audience, instead limiting its appeal to gamers already seduced by titles such as Wii Sports and Wario Ware: Smooth Moves. But as a title that makes the best possible use of the hardware its running on, this is a rare joy.