Rovio's new puzzle game keeps you coming back for more

There are a lot of moving parts in each level and you're job is to figure out the best way to gather up all three stars.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

Amazing Alex (99 cents) for iPhone or Android is a physics game where you're challenged to create chain reactions with objects and complete objectives. Our hero, Amazing Alex, is a kid that's stuck cleaning his room and tries to get creative with organizing his belongings by building Rube Goldburg-like devices. For each level you'll go through two phases: the building phase, where you'll set up your objects, and the execution phase where you'll see if your arrangement of objects helps you collect all the stars for the level. Like Angry Birds, you'll want to try to get all three stars for every level for a perfect score. The game is also clever in how you move through chapters; At the end of the first chapter, for example, a comic shows that Alex gets in trouble with his mother for all the ruckus in his room, so she sends him outside where he sets up more complex chain reactions.

There are 35 interactive objects to work with and part of the fun is figuring out the best way to complete a level. In the early stages, you'll need to simply direct soccer and tennis balls into a hamper ... [Read more]