Frequently when I start up Tetris the iPhone crashes. Unfortunately, Tetris also has been one of my most trouble-prone iPhone gaming experiences. Some of these, such as bubble wrap (turning the Tetrominoes into bubble wrap you can pop) and a vice grip (letting you “pinch” pieces to get them to fit) are examples of how Tetris has been customized for the iPhone. There are two play modes: Marathon, a non-stop game that keeps ramping up the difficulty, and Magic, which features different special items that help you get through each stage.

It’s colorful and bright, easy to see and fun to play. Tetris on the iPhone and iPod touch puts the devices’ touch interface to good use-you tap on the screen to rotate pieces, and slide your finger downward to make pieces fall into place faster. Creating an entire unbroken row of them will make them disappear and net you points.

The geometric blocks-called tetrominoes-have different shapes (rectangles, squares, zig-zags, hooks) and they fit together at the bottom of the screen. In Tetris, your goal is to clear the playing field of blocks that descend from the top of the screen.

The best tetris app for iphone