Pipe Mania is a puzzle game, so it doesn't try to push presentation as far as other genres. However, the visuals are more than adequate and put on a nice show. Everything is incredibly crisp and the variety of level types shows a lot of creativity. Earlier stages are plain and feature mainly green ooze and basic pipes. As you progress through each level, the backgrounds begin to change to fit different themes. The train area has a very storybook, pastoral feel while the electricity puzzles have more of a horror movie theme complete with skulls and Tesla coils.

Not much can be said about the game's sound. The tunes are catchy and appropriate to each area, though they also tend to drift towards being a little too repetitive and borderline annoying.

If you weren't around for Pipe Mania's initial release in 1989, you will most likely recognize it as the hacking mini-game from last year's Bioshock. Ooze (or objects like trains in later levels) flows from a start point and it is your job to get it to the end point before the time limit expires. You are given a handful of pipes, including bends, straights and pumps, and need to fit them together without allowing too much to spill out. Laying down vast networks of pipes will also net your higher scores.

Gameplay is spread between several play modes. The most prominent is World, where you are trying to take over the family plumbing business. The story isn't that deep or complex and mainly serves as a way to ship you around to the game's seven locales. Each location is further split up into eight sections, ensuring that you'll have a lot to keep your occupied. Each section is capped by a battle with a rival plumber. During battles, you are still trying to complete a circuit of pipe, but you also need to deal with attacks that the boss will lob your way.

The battle mechanic is also present in one of the game's Versus Modes. During play, you can work to charge an attack meter that, when filled, allows you to toss attacks at your opponent. The other competitive modes revolve mostly around timed modes, but are incredibly fun. The best part is that Pipe Mania features support for the PSP's Game Share, so two players can compete with one disc. It may not sound like much, but it's a useful feature; after playing one mode, a student of mine ran out to find the game in stores. Hopefully stories like this will encourage other developers to "get with the program" and offer similar support.

Pipe Mania isn't a difficult concept to grasp, but the game gets hard fairly quickly if you don't pay attention. How hard things get depends mostly on which of the game's modes you're playing. World Mode is the most forgiving of the bunch and is recommended for beginners. You're allowed to spill a little ooze and time limits are reasonable. Classic Mode isn't as forgiving; if ooze spills, the game is over.

Both the Arcade and Bonus modes offer two difficulty levels, Normal and Hard. Arcade introduces a moving screen where you need to keep the ooze flowing between screens. On Normal, this mode isn't too difficult, though Hard might have a few players replacing their systems. Okay, not really, but it is still pretty challenging. Bonus is a jigsaw-type mode. The pipe system is already completed and you need to patch in the empty spots with the correct pieces.

Each level is based on the same general play mechanics, though each offers a slightly different twist. In one area, you have to quickly place grids down to keep up with fast-moving electricity while in another, you'll have to place special pipes down that increase the size of a train. The small mechanical twists are good and give the game just enough of a twist to keep it interesting. Regardless of the mode you're playing, dropping pipes is easy to understand.

For puzzle fans, Pipe Mania is a must buy. The gameplay is simple to get into, but has just the right amount of depth and challenge to keep you interested for a good while. The only thing that could keep some players away is the difficulty. I wouldn't call it frustrating, but it will keep you on edge.