Tetris Mania tumbles into Europe

Electronic Arts has announced the European launch of Tetris Mania, which will be available to download from all major EU operators and offers mobile gamers a three-way twist on the world's most famous puzzle game.

Designed to offer mass-market appeal and further extend the phenomenal global success of Tetris, the new game will be available to download shortly from all major European operators - including Vodafone, 3, Telefonica, T-Mobile, SFR and O2.

Adding three new gameplay modes, fans of the original will be given a chance to challenge their skills in slotting the falling pieces into place and clearing lines in a race against the clock.

Cascade mode employs the power of gravity to ensure that unsupported blocks will adhere to Newton's law and tumble downward, giving gamers with a little tactical prowess a potential avalanche of points.

Sticky mode does just what it says, allowing blocks of the same colour to stick together and form an entirely new series of point-scoring shapes to crash down and clear the screen.

Fusion mode presents players with infectious blocks that spread their explosive virus to any new blocks they touch. Activate enough blocks in a group and you can blast your way to the top of the scoreboard in double-quick time.

Tetris Mania features a little spit and polish in the graphical department, as well as a host of quirky animations and tension-inducing sound-effects, to bring a new gaming experience to fans of Tetris and those who have somehow managed to miss out on the classic puzzler.