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Lumines FAQ/Walkthrough

by Alex Eagleson

               ____                   __                      
              |    |    __ __  _____ |__| ____   ____   ______
              |    |   |  |  \/     \|  |/    \_/ __ \ /  ___/
              |    |___|  |  /  | |  \  |   |  \  ___/ \___ \ 
              |_______ \____/|__|_|  /__|___|  /\___  >____  >
                      \/           \/        \/     \/     \/ 
 ____________________________________________________________________________ 
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
|                  P  U  Z  Z  L  E   --   F  U  S  I  O  N                  |
|____________________________________________________________________________|
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
|                   Author: A I e x                                          |
|                   Began: April 19th, 2005                                  |
|                   Completed: April 19th, 2005                              |
|____________________________________________________________________________|
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

O============================================================================O
|                              Table of Contents                             |
O============================================================================O

** In order to navigate this guide I have implemented a Ctrl+f system, which 
means you press ctrl+f in your browser or word processer to bring up the 
search menu, then enter the letters in brackets on the right of the section 
that you're looking for.

1. Create Your Player..................................................(000A0)
2. Options Menu........................................................(000B0)
3. The Basics..........................................................(000C0)
     i - The Screen....................................................(000C1)
     ii - Block Elimination............................................(000C2)
     iii - The Sweep...................................................(000C3)
     iv - Special Block................................................(000C4)
4. Block Tactics.......................................................(000D0)
     i - The Checkered Block...........................................(000D1)
     ii - The L Design Block...........................................(000D2)
     iii - The II Design Block.........................................(000D3)
     iv - The Full Colour Block........................................(000D4)
5. Puzzle Mode.........................................................(000E0)
6. Skins...............................................................(00000)
     i - Shinin'.......................................................(00001)
     ii - Urbanization.................................................(00002)
     iii - Round About.................................................(00003)
     iv - Slipping.....................................................(00004)
     v - Shake Ya Body.................................................(00005)
     vi - Square Dance.................................................(00006)
     vii - Talk 2 You..................................................(00007)
     viii - Just.......................................................(00008)
     ix - The Music In My Soul.........................................(00009)
     x - Dark Side Beside River........................................(0000A)
     xi - Aback........................................................(0000B)
     xii - Working In The Hole.........................................(0000C)
     xiii - Sister Walk................................................(0000D)
     xiv - Da-Di-Do....................................................(0000E)
     xv - Strangers....................................................(0000F)
     xvi - Holiday In Summer...........................................(0000G)
     xvii - Take A Dog Out A Walk......................................(0000H)
     xviii - Big Elpaso................................................(0000I)
     xix - My Generation...............................................(0000J)
     xxi - Meguro.. ...................................................(0000K)
     xxii - Spirits....................................................(0000L)
     xxiii - Get Up And Go.............................................(0000M)
     xxiv - Fly Into The Sky...........................................(0000N)
     xxv - Lights......................................................(0000O)
     xxvi - Japanese Form..............................................(0000P)
     xxvii - Auto Mobile Industry......................................(0000Q)
     xxviii - Please Return My CD......................................(0000R)
     xxix - Bird Singing In Night......................................(0000S)
     xxx - Mekong......................................................(0000T)
     xxxi - Whoop-De-Do................................................(0000U)
     xxxii - The Spy Loves Me..........................................(0000V)
     xxxiii - Brash....................................................(0000W)
     xxxiv - Chinese Restaurant........................................(0000X)
     xxxv - Moon Beam..................................................(0000Y)
     xxxvi - 45 Degrees................................................(0000Z)
     xxxvii - Rodent...................................................(000Z1)
     xxxviii - Morning Beats...........................................(000Z2)
     xxxix - Tin Toy...................................................(000Z3)
     xl - Prime Factor.................................................(000Z4)
7. Version History.....................................................(000X1)
8. Legal...............................................................(000X2)
9. Credits.............................................................(000X3)
 
O============================================================================O
|                             Creating Your Player                   (000A0) |
O============================================================================O

When first starting up the game you will have to create your own personal 
profile.  Start by entering your name into the box that appears.  Next you 
will need to select a design for your character, many are available from the 
start however some need to be unlocked.  Afer selecting your icon you will be 
brought to the menu to choose your game mode.  There are four different game 
modes and two additional modes which you can select:

- 1P Mode                               - Puzzle Mode
- 2P Mode                               - Options
- Vs CPU Mode                           - Credits

O============================================================================O
|                                 Options Menu                       (000B0) |
O============================================================================O

Button Configuration: 

   Type A - Triangle and square buttons are used to rotate your block left 
            while X and circle buttons are used to rotate your block right.

   Type B - Square and X buttons are used to rotate your block left while the
            triangle and circle buttons are used to rotate your block right

   Type A - The L button is used to rotate your block left while the R button
            is used to rotate your block right

VS History:

   This shows the games you have played against opponents previously and   
   whether you have won or lost the games, also shows opponent names.

Score Ranking:

   This shows the high score chart and player name for the top ten players

Character Edit:

   Allows you to customize a pre-existing character or create a new one.  You 
   can also delete your character and change your character icon.


O============================================================================O
|                                 The Basics                         (000C0) |
O============================================================================O

|  umines   /----------------------------------------------------------------o
|_ ----o----\                           The Screen                           |
    (000C1)  \---------------------------------------------------------------o


o----------------------------------------------------------------------------o
|                                                                            |
| o---+---o                         o---+---o                                |
| |   |&&&|                         |   |&&&|                                |
| +---+---+                         +---+---+                                |
| |&&&|   | o-----------------------|&&&|   |-----------------------o Level  |
| o---+---o |                       o---+---o                       |     4  |
|           |                                                       |        |
| o---+---o |                                                       |        |
| |&&&|   | |                                                       |        |
| +---+---+ |                                                       | Time   |
| |   |&&&| |                                                       |   4:39 |
| o---+---o |                                                       |        |
|           |                                                       |        |
| o---+---o |                                                       |        |
| |&&&|&&&| |                                                       | Score  |
| +---+---+ |                                                       |   9128 |
| |&&&|&&&| |                                                       |        |
| o---+---o |                                                       |        |
|           |                                                       |        |
|           |                                                       | HiScore|
|           |                                                       |  354638|
| +-------+ |               o---+---o                               |        |
| |       | |               |   |&&&|                               |        |
| | O   O | |               +---+---+                               | Deleted|
| |       | |               |   |   |                               |    104 |
| | \___/ | o---------------o---+---o-------------------------------o        |
| |       |                                                                  |
| +-------+                                                                  |
|                                                                            |
|                                                                            |
o----------------------------------------------------------------------------o

The large square in the centre is the playing screen where you drop the 
blocks.  The block at the bottom has already been dropped and the block at the 
top is the one you have control of that is about to drop.  On the right we 
have level which displays your current level.  Time which shows how much time 
has passed.  Score and Hi-Score show your current and best scores respectively 
while Deleted tells you how many blocks total you have deleted so far.  At the 
upper left we have three blocks that show what's coming for your next three 
blocks, starting with the top as the next block at the bottom one you will get 
in three drops.  The face or icon at the bottom left corner is the character 
icon you selected at the beginning of the game.  That's it for the screen.

|  umines   /----------------------------------------------------------------o
|_ ----o----\                        Block Elimination                       |
    (000C2)  \---------------------------------------------------------------o

Here are the gameplay basics.  The idea of Lumines works as follows.  Given a 
not-too-distant-relative of Tetris like grid and block dropping system your 
goal is to create blocks of four squares of either colour to eliminate the 
blocks.  If this isn't too helpful I'll provide a basic diagram:

            o-------------------------------------------------------o
            |                                                       |
            |               o---+---o                               |
            |               |   |&&&|                               |
            |               +---+---+                               |
            |               |&&&|&&&|                               |
            |               o---+---o                               |
            |                                                       |
            |                   |                                   |
            |                   |                                   |
            |                  \|/                                  |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |               o---+---o                               |
            |               |&&&|&&&|                               |
            |               +---+---+                               |
            |               |   |   |                               |
            o---------------o---+---o-------------------------------o

Above is a model of the screen drawn to scale.  As you can see a block with 
two coloured squares on the bottom is descending down toward a block with two 
coloured squares on the top.  When the block lands it will create this.

            o-------------------------------------------------------o
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |               o---+---o                               |
            |               |   |&&&|                               |
            |               +---+---+                               |
            |               |&&&|&&&|                               |
            |               o---+---o                               |
            |               |&&&|&&&|                               |
            |               +---+---+                               |
            |               |   |   |                               |
            o---------------o---+---o-------------------------------o

You can see that now a square of four coloured blocks has formed together.  
When the sweep comes by (which we will talk about more later) this block of 
four squares will disappear giving you points, and reducing the amount of 
blocks on the field.  After the sweep has gone by it looks like this:

            o-------------------------------------------------------o
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |               o---+---o                               |
            |               |   |&&&|                               |
            |               +---+---+                               |
            |               |   |   |                               |
            o---------------o---+---o-------------------------------o

The bottom two squares of the lower block and the top two squares of the upper 
block are now on top of one another since the complete square in the middle 
has disappeared.  You can get more than one block at once and all sorts of 
special combos as well, but we'll get into that later.  You've got the basics.

|  umines   /----------------------------------------------------------------o
|_ ----o----\                           The Sweep                            |
    (000C3)  \---------------------------------------------------------------o

You may have noticed the object that sweeps by every few seconds, well that 
thing is responsible for clearing the blocks meaning the blocks you create 
don't disappear immediately, instead they disappear when the sweep clears 
them.  This means you are given the chance to potentially build bigger combos 
on top of your blocks waiting to be cleared.  In case you haven't figured it 
out yet the sweep looks something like this:
                                                        o---o\
            o-------------------------------------------| 0 | >-----o
            |                                      ___  o---o/      |
            |                                        /|     |       |
            |                                       / |     |       |
            |                                      /        |       |
            |                                     /         |       |
            |                                               |       |
            |                                 The Sweep     |       |
            |                                               |       |
            |                                               |       |
            |                                               |       |
            |                                               |       |
            |                                               |       |
            |               o---+---o                       |       |
            |               |   |&&&|                       |       |
            |               +---+---+                       |       |
            |               |&&&|   |                       |       |
            |               o---+---o                       |       |
            |               |   |&&&|                       |       |
            |               +---+---+                       |       |
            |               |&&&|   |                       |       |
            o---------------o---+---o-------------------------------o

When the vertical line that descends down the screen passes over a complete 
block the block then disappears.  The number at the top of the sweep keeps 
track of how many blocks have been cleared on each sweep and if it reaches 
four or higher then you get a special bonus, what a nice surprise.

|  umines   /----------------------------------------------------------------o
|_ ----o----\                         Special Block                          |
    (000C4)  \---------------------------------------------------------------o

The special block is the little icon that appears in the centre of some 
blocks, for example in the first level you will be able to tell it apart 
because on rare occasions a small green dot appears in some blocks.  What this 
green dot does is not only desttroy like-coloured blocks in a square pattern 
like any other would, but it also moves and destroys every single block beside 
it of the same colour on and on until it reaches a block a block of a 
different colour.  It will snake up down, left or right but not diagonally.  

            o-------------------------------------------------------o
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |               o---+---o                               |
            |               |&&&|   |                               |
            |               +---+---+                               |
            |               |   |&&&|                               |
            |               o---+---o                               |
            |               |&&&|&&&|                               |
            |               +---+---+                               |
            |               | 6 | 7 |                               |
            |               o---+---o               o---+---o       |
            |               | 5 |&&&|               | 5 | 6 |       |
            |               +---+---+               +---+---+       |
            |               | 4 |&&&|               | 4 |&&&|       |
            |               o---+---o---+---o---+---o---+---o       |
            |               | 3 | 2 | 1 | x | 1 | 2 | 3 |&&&|       |
            |               +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+       |
            |               |&&&| 3 | 2 | 1 |&&&|&&&| 4 | 5 |       |
            o---------------o---+---o---+---o---+---o---+---o-------o

Lets say that the clear block with the "x" in the middle represents one of the 
special destroyer blocks.  You can see that the block is entirely white so it 
is about to be destroyed, it will destroy the three squares in the same block 
but then it will chain outward.  Every square with a number inside of it will 
be destroyed and after this huge chain you will be left with:

            o-------------------------------------------------------o
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                   o---o                               |
            |                   |   |                               |
            |               o---+---o                               |
            |               |&&&|&&&|                               |
            |               +---+---+                               |
            |               |   |&&&|                               |
            |               o---+---o                   o---o       |
            |               |&&&|&&&|                   |&&&|       |
            |               +---+---+       o---+---o   +---+       |
            |               |&&&|&&&|       |&&&|&&&|   |&&&|       |
            o---------------o---+---o-------o---+---o---o---o-------o

Something that looks like the above picture.  Of course tat block of coloured 
squares at the lower left will be removed too on the next sweep but that's 
beside the point.  The idea is that you can eliminate tons of blocks of a 
single colour using this special block and after doing so there will likely be 
so many blocks of the opposite colour remaining that even they will almost 
completely wipe themselves out on the next sweep.  A powerful tool indeed.


O============================================================================O
|                                 Block Tactics                      (000D0) |
O============================================================================O

This section will pretty much outline everything you are going to want to know 
to build up the highest scores and become the most efficient player.  
Obviously everyone plays differently and I'm sure you've even got some of your 
own special tactics that I might overlook, but my primary goal is to help give 
you a few extra pointers to maximize your score and minimize game overs.

|  umines   /----------------------------------------------------------------o
|_ ----o----\                       The Checkered Block                      |
    (000D1)  \---------------------------------------------------------------o

You might want to know how to deal with that awful block that comes in a 
checkered pattern and doesn't seem to help you out anywhere.  Well it can help 
you at times if you remember one important part of this game, when in doubt 
and when you are unable to create a block, group colours together!  Here's 
about the worst possible thing you can do with a bunch of checkered blocks.

            o-------------------------------------------------------o
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                       o---+---o---+---o               |
            |                       |   |&&&|   |&&&|               |
            |                       +---+---+---+---+               |
            |                       |&&&|   |&&&|   |               |
            |               o---+---o---+---o---+---o---+---o       |
            |               |   |&&&|   |&&&|   |&&&|   |&&&|       |
            |               +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+       |
            |               |&&&|   |&&&|   |&&&|   |&&&|   |       |
            o---------------o---+---o---+---o---+---o---+---o-------o

See how they are all piled up in a grossly ugly pattern with little hope to 
create any blocks at all in the future.  Despite the aesthetically pleasing 
nature of this setup, never ever do this.  What you want to do instead is 
group colours together.  Remember, you CAN rotate blocks!

            o-------------------------------------------------------o
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                       o---+---o       |
            |                                       |   |&&&|       |
            |                                       +---+---+       |
            |                                       |&&&|   |       |
            |                                       o---+---o       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                           |           |
            |                                           |           |
            |                       o---+---o---+---o  \|/          |
            |                       |   |&&&|&&&|   |               |
            |                       +---+---+---+---+               |
            |                       |&&&|   |   |&&&|               |
            |               o---+---o---+---o---+---o---+---o       |
            |               |   |&&&|&&&|   |   |&&&|&&&|   |       |
            |               +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+       |
            |               |&&&|   |   |&&&|&&&|   |   |&&&|       |
            o---------------o---+---o---+---o---+---o---+---o-------o

Take a look at this setup, it's EXACTLY the same and the exact same blocks 
have not been moved around.  This time whoever dropped the blocks into 
position rotated them first to set this up, remember the only difference 
between the above diagram and the one above it are that the blocks have been 
rotated.  In this one you can see that already the white block in the middle 
is going to disappear.  When it does the two coloured squares on top of it 
will fall and land on the two coloured squares below to create ANOTHER block.  
Now let's ignore that for a second and say you got another of these awful 
checkered blocks.  Notice the one falling on the right.  When it lands it will 
creates a coloured block of four and then after that disappears the two white 
blocks on top will drop and create another coloured block.  As you can see 
when you set it up right with contiguous colours, they aren't too bad at all.

|  umines   /----------------------------------------------------------------o
|_ ----o----\                       The L Design Block                       |
    (000D2)  \---------------------------------------------------------------o

You know the one I'm talking about, the block that has a single square on it 
of a different colour so that the three of the opposite colour form an L 
shape.  These have numerous different uses not so much with each other but 
rather when interacting with other blocks.  This is the most common example, 
learn to utilize this tactic and it will save you many times.

            o-------------------------------------------------------o
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                   o---+---o                           |
            |                   |   |&&&|                           |
            |                   +---+---+                           |
            |                   |&&&|&&&|                           |
            |                   o---+---o                           |
            |                                                       |
            |                       |                               |
            |                       |                               |
            |                      \|/                              |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                   o---o                               |
            |                   |&&&|                               |
            o-------------------o---o-------------------------------o

This is a simple example of what might often be a much more complicated setup, 
but the idea remains the same.  You have a single block of the same colour as 
the L shape in the block you are dropping.  What you want to do is rotate and 
position it exactly like in the diagram above and then drop it down.

            o-------------------------------------------------------o
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                   o---o                               |
            |                   |   |                               |
            |                   o---+---o                           |
            |                   |&&&|&&&|                           |
            |                   +---+---+                           |
            |                   |&&&|&&&|                           |
            o-------------------o---+---o---------------------------o

As you can see the two coloured blocks on the right side hit the bottom and 
the single coloured block on the left stacked on top of the one that was 
already on the ground to form a block which will then be eliminated the next 
time the sweep comes by to make its run.  Simple yes, but very effective.

Along the same lines is the opposite situation, when you have a single block 
and an L design block of the opposite colour majority coming down.  

            o-------------------------------------------------------o
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                   o---+---o       o---+---o           |
            |                   |   |   |       |   |   |           |
            |                   +---+---+       +---+---+           |
            |                   |   |&&&|       |   |&&&|           |
            |                   o---+---o       o---+---o           |
            |                                                       |
            |                       |               |               |
            |                       |               |               |
            |                      \|/             \|/              |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                   o---o                   o---o       |
            |                   |&&&|                   |&&&|       |
            o-------------------o---o-------------------o---o-------o

The above diagram shows your two best options when given a situation like 
this.  While neither of them will actually create and destroy a block both of 
them will give you the most colour contiguity possible, as shown below.

            o-------------------------------------------------------o
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                   o---+---o       o---+---o           |
            |                   |   |&&&|       |   |&&&|           |
            |                   +---+---+       +---+---+           |
            |                   |&&&|   |       |   |   |           |
            |                   o---+---o       o---+---o           |
            |                                                       |
            |                       |               |               |
            |                       |               |               |
            |                      \|/             \|/              |
            |                                                       |
            |                   o---o                               |
            |                   |   |                               |
            |                   o---+---o       o---+---o           |
            |                   |   |   |       |   |   |           |
            |                   +---+---+       +---+---+---o       |
            |                   |&&&|&&&|       |   |&&&|&&&|       |
            o-------------------o---+---o-------o---+---o---o-------o

Personally I find the one on the left to be the preferable choice but in the 
end it's up to you.  Notice on the left diagram that if you get one of the 
annoying checker blocks what you can do.  Notice that when that lands you are 
going to create a block of white squares and then when they disappear the 
coloured ones will drop and make another block.  Correct me if I'm wrong but I 
would say that the block coming down on the right side is about the best thing 
you could hope for, however the end result isn't nearly as good.

            o-------------------------------------------------------o
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                   o---+---o           |
            |                                   |   |&&&|           |
            |                   o---o           +---+---+---o       |
            |                   |   |           |   |&&&|&&&|       |
            o-------------------o---o-----------o---+---o---o-------o

|  umines   /----------------------------------------------------------------o
|_ ----o----\                       The II Design Block                      |
    (000D3)  \---------------------------------------------------------------o

The block that has two straight lines of opposite colours is one of the most 
useful blocks you can get, but can also be one of the most destructive.  Quite 
often I find this block is used most of the time for shaving in half and 
dropping two blocks of a single colour further down but it also serves and 
even better purpose such that if you get two of them they can be rotated on 
their side and you can get two blocks quite easily.  Both tactics will be 
outlined below on the same diagram, one on each side of the screen.

            o-------------------------------------------------------o
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |       o---+---o                       o---+---o       |
            |       |&&&|&&&|                       |   |&&&|       |
            |       +---+---+                       +---+---+       |
            |       |   |   |                       |   |&&&|       |
            |       o---+---o                       o---+---o       |
            |                                                       |
            |           |                               |           |
            |           |                               |           |
            |          \|/                             \|/          |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |       o---+---o                       o---o   o---o   |
            |       |   |   |                       |&&&|   |&&&|   |
            |       +---+---+                       +---+   +---+   |
            |       |&&&|&&&|                       |&&&|   |&&&|   |
            o-------o---+---o-----------------------o---o---o---o---o

The setup on the left shows on of the most useful things you can do with the 
II block horizontally while the diagram on the right shows the most useful 
thing you can do with the II block vertically.  Here's the result:

            o-------------------------------------------------------o
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |       o---+---o                       o---o           |
            |       |&&&|&&&|                       |   |           |
            |       +---+---+                       +---+           |
            |       |   |   |                       |   |           |
            |       o---+---o                       o---o---o---o   |
            |       |   |   |                       |&&&|&&&|&&&|   |
            |       +---+---+                       +---+---+---+   |
            |       |&&&|&&&|                       |&&&|&&&|&&&|   |
            o-------o---+---o-----------------------o---o---o---o---o

As you can see the setup on the left will cause the white block to disappear, 
then the coloured squares on top will drop and form a coloured block which 
will also disappear.  On the right we see that the coloured squares have been 
shaved off formed two blocks that will both disappear and net you more points, 
so as you can see the II block is a powerful too when use correctly.  When 
used incorrectly however it's not so great.  I find myself often dropping then 
one on top of another vertically with little else to do and while two large 
vertical lines of same-coloured squares might sound appealing, it needlessly 
raises you up toward the top and they are hard to get rid of since you need to 
eliminate them from the side.  Long story short, don't do that.

|  umines   /----------------------------------------------------------------o
|_ ----o----\                      The Full Colour Block                     |
    (000D4)  \---------------------------------------------------------------o

While dropping it down by itself can seem pretty appealing since it will just 
be cleaned away, often the full colour block is better used as a combo tool:

            o-------------------------------------------------------o
            |                                                       |
            | BAD!                                                  |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                       o---+---o       |
            |                                       |&&&|&&&|       |
            |                                       +---+---+       |
            |                                       |&&&|&&&|       |
            |                                       o---+---o       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                           |           |
            |                                           |           |
            |                                          \|/          |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |               o---+---o                               |
            |               |&&&|&&&|                               |
            |               +---+---+                               |
            |               |   |   |                               |
            o---------------o---+---o-------------------------------o

            o-------------------------------------------------------o
            |                                                       |
            | GOOD!                                                 |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |               o---+---o                               |
            |               |&&&|&&&|                               |
            |               +---+---+                               |
            |               |&&&|&&&|                               |
            |               o---+---o                               |
            |                                                       |
            |                   |                                   |
            |                   |                                   |
            |                  \|/                                  |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |               o---+---o                               |
            |               |&&&|&&&|                               |
            |               +---+---+                               |
            |               |   |   |                               |
            o---------------o---+---o-------------------------------o

While the first one will drop and disappear netting you some points and not 
cluttering up the board, take a closer look at the second one.  When it lands 
it will create two blocks of six squares, eliminate all of them for more 
points than the first one and leave you with less blocks.  It's win win!


O============================================================================O
|                                 Puzzle Mode                        (000E0) |
O============================================================================O

Puzzle mode is a special mode where you have to make certain patterns out of a 
specific colour and not have any other coloured blocks adjacent to them.  Lets 
take the first puzzle to use as an example for what to do, and what not to.

            o-------------------------------------------------------o
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                       o---+---o                       |
            |                       |&&&|&&&|                       |
            |                       +---+---+                       |
            |                       |   |&&&|                       |
            |               o---+---o---+---o---+---o               |
            |               |&&&|   |   |   |&&&|   |               |
            |               +---+---+---+---+---+---+               |
            |               |   |&&&|   |&&&|   |&&&|               |
            o---------------o---+---o---+---o---+---o---------------o

            o-------------------------------------------------------o
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                                                       |
            |                       o---+---o                       |
            |                       |&&&|   |                       |
            |                       +---+---+                       |
            |                       |   |&&&|                       |
            |               o---+---o---+---o---+---o               |
            |               |&&&|   |   |   |   |&&&|               |
            |               +---+---+---+---+---+---+               |
            |               |&&&|&&&|   |&&&|   |&&&|               |
            o---------------o---+---o---+---o---+---o---------------o

One of these two diagrams will successfully complete the first puzzle while 
the other one will not.  Can you figure out which one is wrong?  The answer is 
the second one.  Notice a perfectly shaped white cross in the middle, however 
touching the right side is another white block that is no part of the shape.  
This is a no-no.  Which colour you choose is irrelevant, both are fair game.

When trying to complete puzzle mode all you are really doing is the same basic 
thing over and over again which is piling useless blocks on the side while 
taking blocks that you are waiting for and setting them up in the centre to 
create the shape that you cant.  I find that most of the time you are waiting 
for the II design blocks with the L shaped ones a distant second.  Full colour 
ones are near useless here and the checkered blocks have limited use too.  
Keep an eye on the upcoming blocks and make absolutely sure you know what 
you're looking for.  Personally I find that the best thing to do is completely 
memorize the exact shape you are trying to make before you begin to minimize 
the amount of time you waste looking at it on the side.  There are quite a few 
puzzle levels in this game, and while you really don't need an individual 
strategy for each one, all the shapes you'll need to create are seen below.


            Small Cross:                           Small Square:
                 _                                     _ _ _
               _|_|_                                  |_|_|_|
              |_|_|_|                                 |_|_|_|
                |_|                                   |_|_|_|


           Small Checker:                               Dog:   
               _   _                                       _
              |_|_|_|                                  _  |_|_
               _|_|_                                  |_|_|_|_|
              |_| |_|                                 |_|_|_|
                                                      |_| |_|

                 A:                                   Giraffe:  
                 _                                         _ _
               _|_|_                                      |_|_|
              |_|_|_|                                     |_|
              |_|_|_|                                  _ _|_|
              |_| |_|                                 |_|_|_|
                                                      |_| |_|

             Alligator:                             Create 4x4:  
                     _                               _ _ _ _
           _ _ _ _ _|_|_                            |_|_|_|_|
          |_|_|_|_|_|_|_|                           |_|_|_|_|
              |_| |_|                               |_|_|_|_|
                                                    |_|_|_|_|

               Smile:                                 Horse:    
               _   _                                       _
              |_| |_|                                     |_|_
              |_| |_|                                     |_|_|
               _   _                                 _ _ _|_|
              |_|_|_|                               |_|_|_|_|
                |_|                                   |_| |_|
                                                      |_| |_|

              Arrow Up:                             Arrow Left: 
                 _                                       _  
               _|_|_                                   _|_|  
             _|_|_|_|_                               _|_|_ _ _
            |_| |_| |_|                             |_|_|_|_|_|
                |_|                                   |_|_   
                |_|                                     |_|  

            Arrow Right:                            Arrow Down:
                 _                                       _  
                |_|_                                    |_|  
             _ _ _|_|_                               _  |_|  _
            |_|_|_|_|_|                             |_|_|_|_|_|
                 _|_|                                 |_|_|_|
                |_|                                     |_|  

              Infinity:                              Clear All:  
              _ _ _                                          
             |_|_|_|                                  Delete 
             |_|_|_|_ _                               Every   
             |_|_|_|_|_|                              Block  
                 |_|_|_|                              On The 
                 |_|_|_|                              Screen  

             Big Square:                              Big G:    
             _ _ _ _ _                              _ _ _ _ _
            |_|_|_|_|_|                            |_|_|_|_|_|
            |_|  _  |_|                            |_|  _ _ _ 
            |_| |_| |_|                            |_| |_|_|_|
            |_|_ _ _|_|                            |_|_ _ _|_|
            |_|_|_|_|_|                            |_|_|_|_|_|

                UFO:                                  Human:    
                 _                                      _  
             _ _|_|_ _                              _ _|_|_ _
           _|_|_|_|_|_|_                           |_|_|_|_|_|
          |_|_|_|_|_|_|_|                             _|_|_ 
            |_| |_| |_|                              |_| |_|
                                                     |_| |_|

               Snake:                               Big Checker:
                     _ _                                 _  
             _ _ _  |_|_|                              _|_|_ 
            |_|_|_| |_|                              _|_|_|_|_
           _|_| |_|_|_|                             |_|_|_|_|_|
          |_|_| |_|_|_|                               |_|_|_|
                                                        |_|  

              Big Cross:                         Delete Over 20 Blocks:
             _       _                                        
            |_|_   _|_|                               Clear More
              |_|_|_|                                 Than 20
               _|_|_                                  Blocks|
             _|_| |_|_                                Before Time
            |_|     |_|                               Runs Out

            Zero to Three:                            Large O:     
      _ _ _  _ _  _ _ _  _ _ _                       _ _ _ _ _
     |_|_|_||_|_||_|_|_||_|_|_|                     |_|_|_|_|_|
     |_| |_|  |_| _ _|_| _ _|_|                     |_|     |_|
     |_| |_|  |_||_|_|_||_|_|_|                     |_|     |_|
     |_|_|_|  |_||_|_ _  _ _|_|                     |_|_ _ _|_|
     |_|_|_|  |_||_|_|_||_|_|_|                     |_|_|_|_|_|

There's a couple other things to make note of for the puzzle game, some of 
these require a difficult trick for you to complete them like the 4x4 for 
example.  What you need to do is leave the middle open until the last possible 
second and then wait until you see full colour blocks coming then put them in 
place quickly before the sweep comes by and eliminates them so you have enough 
time to stack them and achieve the goal.  The other thing is that this isn't 
the end of the puzzle section, there are twice as many puzzles however at this 
point they loop and you must do everything you just did TWICE during the time 
limit period.  A little repetitious perhaps, but challenging nonetheless.


O============================================================================O
|                                    Skins                           (00000) |
O============================================================================O

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\         Shinin'        |  |_ ----o----\      Urbanization      |
    (00001)  \-----------------------o      (00002)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: Shinin'                     Song Title: Urbanization
Artist: Mondo Grosso                    Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: White                  Block #1 Colour: White
Block #2 Colour: Orange                 Block #2 Colour: Green
Unlocked: Challenge Mode 1st skin       Unlocked: Challenge mode 2nd skin 

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\       Round About      |  |_ ----o----\        Slipping        |
    (00003)  \-----------------------o      (00004)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: Round About                 Song Title: Slipping
Artist: N/A                             Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: White                  Block #1 Colour: White
Block #2 Colour: Gold                   Block #2 Colour: Red
Unlocked: Challenge Mode 3rd skin       Unlocked: Challenge mode 4th skin 

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\      Shake Ya Body     |  |_ ----o----\       Square Dance     |
    (00005)  \-----------------------o      (00006)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: Shake Ya Body               Song Title: Square Dance
Artist: Mondo Grosso                    Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: White                  Block #1 Colour: White
Block #2 Colour: Orange                 Block #2 Colour: Orange
Unlocked: Challenge Mode 5th skin       Unlocked: Challenge mode 6th skin 

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\       Talk 2 You       |  |_ ----o----\         Just...        |
    (00007)  \-----------------------o      (00008)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: Talk 2 You                  Song Title: Just...
Artist: N/A                             Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: White                  Block #1 Colour: White
Block #2 Colour: Blue                   Block #2 Colour: Red
Unlocked: Challenge Mode 7th skin       Unlocked: Challenge mode 8th skin 

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\  The Music In My Soul  |  |_ ----o----\ Dark Side Beside River |
    (00009)  \-----------------------o      (0000A)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: The Music In My Soul        Song Title: Dark Side Beside River 
Artist: Eri Nobushika                   Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: White                  Block #1 Colour: White
Block #2 Colour: Orange                 Block #2 Colour: Dark Green
Unlocked: Challenge Mode 9th skin       Unlocked: Challenge mode 10th skin

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\          Aback         |  |_ ----o----\   Working In The Hole  |
    (0000B)  \-----------------------o      (0000C)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: Aback                       Song Title: Working In The Hole
Artist: N/A                             Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: White                  Block #1 Colour: White
Block #2 Colour: Brown                  Block #2 Colour: Red
Unlocked: Challenge Mode 11th skin      Unlocked: Challenge mode 12th skin

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\       Sister Walk      |  |_ ----o----\        Da-Di-Do        |
    (0000D)  \-----------------------o      (0000E)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: Sister Walk                 Song Title: Da-Di-Do
Artist: N/A                             Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: White                  Block #1 Colour: White
Block #2 Colour: Orange                 Block #2 Colour: Red
Unlocked: Challenge Mode 13th skin      Unlocked: Challenge mode 14th skin

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\        Strangers       |  |_ ----o----\    Holiday In Summer   |
    (0000F)  \-----------------------o      (0000G)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: Strangers                   Song Title: Holiday In Summer
Artist: N/A                             Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: White                  Block #1 Colour: White
Block #2 Colour: Orange                 Block #2 Colour: Orange
Unlocked: Challenge Mode 15th skin      Unlocked: Challenge mode 16th skin

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\  Take A Dog Out A Walk |  |_ ----o----\       Big Elpaso       |
    (0000H)  \-----------------------o      (0000I)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: Take A Dog Out A Walk       Song Title: Big Elpaso
Artist: N/A                             Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: White                  Block #1 Colour: White
Block #2 Colour: Orange                 Block #2 Colour: Orange
Unlocked: Challenge Mode 17th skin      Unlocked: Challenge mode 18th skin

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\      My Generation     |  |_ ----o----\          Meguro        |
    (0000J)  \-----------------------o      (0000K)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: My Generation               Song Title: Meguro
Artist: N/A                             Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: White                  Block #1 Colour: Brown & Gray 
Block #2 Colour: Orange                 Block #2 Colour: Green & Brown
Unlocked: Challenge Mode 19th skin      Unlocked: Challenge mode 20th skin

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\         Spirits        |  |_ ----o----\      Get Up And Go     |
    (0000L)  \-----------------------o      (0000M)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: Spirits                     Song Title: Get Up And Go
Artist: N/A                             Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: White                  Block #1 Colour: White
Block #2 Colour: Orange                 Block #2 Colour: Green
Unlocked: Challenge Mode 21st skin      Unlocked: Challenge mode 22nd skin

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\    Fly Into The Sky    |  |_ ----o----\         Lights         |
    (0000N)  \-----------------------o      (0000O)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: Fly Into The Sky            Song Title: Lights
Artist: N/A                             Artist: Eri Nobuchika
Block #1 Colour: White                  Block #1 Colour: White
Block #2 Colour: Blue                   Block #2 Colour: Orange
Unlocked: Challenge Mode 23rd skin      Unlocked: Challenge mode 24th skin

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\     Japanese Form      |  |_ ----o----\  Auto Mobile Industry  |
    (0000P)  \-----------------------o      (0000Q)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: Japanese Form               Song Title: Auto Mobile Industry
Artist: N/A                             Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: White                  Block #1 Colour: Blue
Block #2 Colour: Red                    Block #2 Colour: Orange
Unlocked: 1st stage of Vs CPU mode      Unlocked: 2nd stage of Vs CPU mode

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\   Please Return My CD  |  |_ ----o----\  Bird Singing In Night |
    (0000R)  \-----------------------o      (0000S)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: Please Return My CD         Song Title: Bird Singing In Night
Artist: N/A                             Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: White                  Block #1 Colour: Blue  
Block #2 Colour: Black                  Block #2 Colour: Yellow
Unlocked: 3rd stage of Vs CPU mode      Unlocked: 4th stage of Vs CPU mode

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\         Mekong         |  |_ ----o----\       Whoop-De-Do      |
    (0000T)  \-----------------------o      (0000U)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: Mekong                      Song Title: Whoop-De-Do
Artist: N/A                             Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: Blue                   Block #1 Colour: Black
Block #2 Colour: Green                  Block #2 Colour: Yellow
Unlocked: 5th stage of Vs CPU mode      Unlocked: 6th stage of Vs CPU mode

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\   The Spy Loves Me     |  |_ ----o----\          Brash         |
    (0000V)  \-----------------------o      (0000W)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: The Spy Loves Me            Song Title: Brash
Artist: N/A                             Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: White                  Block #1 Colour: Hearts
Block #2 Colour: Orange                 Block #2 Colour: Spades
Unlocked: 7th stage of Vs CPU mode      Unlocked: 8th stage of Vs CPU mode

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\   Chinese Restaurant   |  |_ ----o----\        Moon Beam       |
    (0000X)  \-----------------------o      (0000Y)  \-----------------------o

Song Title:                             Song Title: Moon Beam
Artist: N/A                             Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: White                  Block #1 Colour: White
Block #2 Colour: Orange                 Block #2 Colour: Brown
Unlocked: 9th stage of Vs CPU mode      Unlocked: 10th stage of Vs CPU mode

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\       45 Degrees       |  |_ ----o----\          Rodent        |
    (0000Z)  \-----------------------o      (000Z1)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: 45 Degrees                  Song Title: Rodent
Artist: N/A                             Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: Silver                 Block #1 Colour: White
Block #2 Colour: Gold                   Block #2 Colour: Red
Unlocked: Puzzle Mode                   Unlocked: Puzzle Mode

|  umines   /------------------------o  |  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\      Morning Beats     |  |_ ----o----\         Tin Toy        |
    (000Z2)  \-----------------------o      (000Z3)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: Morning Beats               Song Title: Tin Toy
Artist: N/A                             Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: White                  Block #1 Colour: White
Block #2 Colour: Green                  Block #2 Colour: Orange
Unlocked: Played Certain # of Hours     Unlocked: Played Certain # of Hours

|  umines   /------------------------o
|_ ----o----\       Prime Factor     |
    (000Z4)  \-----------------------o

Song Title: Prime Factor
Artist: N/A
Block #1 Colour: White
Block #2 Colour: Orange
Unlocked: Played Certain # of Hours

O============================================================================O
|                                Version History                     (000X1) |
O============================================================================O

Version 0.00 - (April 19th, 2005) - Began the walkthrough
Version 1.00 - (April 19th, 2005) - Completed the walkthrough

O============================================================================O
|                                    Legal                           (000X2) |
O============================================================================O

This document is copyright (c) 2007 by A I e x.

I am no longer active writing guides for video games, and thus I will no
longer any questions or update with any corrections sent through email.  It
is likely that after this point this guide will never be updated again.  I am
aware that there are errors occasionally and I apologize for those.  Please
do not email me any corrections, or ask me for any help with this particular
game, as I will not respond.

It is also not necessary to send any email to thank me for the work, I will
say right now that you are very welcome.  

Furthermore, please do not contact me about hosting this guide on your website,
I will not grant permisson.  I am still willing to take action if I find this
guide being hosted anywhere other than GameFAQs.com, IGN.com, or a very small
number of other select sites.

Finally, if you need to contact me for some reason that is not covered above, 
then you can reach me at StarOceanDC(a.t)gmail(d.o.t)com.  


O============================================================================O
|                                   Credits                          (000X3) |
O============================================================================O

ASCII title is care of: http://www.rootsecure.net/?p=ascii_generator

Thanks to CJayC for continuing to keep GameFAQs running smoothly, and the same 
to Sailor Bacon.  Thanks to Sean, Mark and Jeremy here at the University of 
Guelph, thanks to everyone in the GameFAQs FAQ contributor community for being 
great people, and thanks to everyone who takes the time to send feedback.

Thank you very much finally, to anyone and everyone reading this walkthrough.

O============================================================================O