Every now and then a game will come along that has the perfect recipe for success; and when ‘Tetris’ was created it ticked every box. There had been a few interesting puzzle games before it, but nothing of quite the same calibre.

‘Tetris’ had actually been around for a good few years before Nintendo’s Gameboy even came about, but it was on their platform that it became so very successful. Suddenly there were people playing it everywhere you went; kids, parents and grandparents. ‘Tetris’ was a game that appealed to everyone and, because of the incredibly simple gameplay; it could be enjoyed by the young and old.

Who would ever have thought that the strategic placing of strange shaped blocks could be so downright addictive? But it certainly was. And having the game on a handheld console only added to the addiction; in the midst of the ‘Tetris’ infatuation you would see people playing it everywhere you went. Planes, trains, doctor’s waiting rooms and anywhere else that had seating were all suitable places to align your bricks.

If I had a pound for every clone that has been made of ‘Tetris’ then I would be a very rich man. It is quite possibly the most mimicked game in the history of computing. Some of the rip-offs were good, some were mediocre and a few were downright appalling. But ‘Tetris’ was immensely popular so companies kept on creating their own versions. Even Nintendo released other games that worked on exactly the same principle such as ‘Dr. Mario’.

‘Tetris’ is still played by a large amount of people and there have been many updated versions. Over the years, each modern console has had its very own ‘ultimate edition’. This game will just not lay down and die.

I have exhilarating news before I run, I was talking to my cousin last night and he has just got a great new role at an human resources software company. Well done Ben