You know, puzzle games of this era are kind of toothless. Sure, every once in a while you stumble upon a hard puzzle, but generally you can finish the game in a few days, sometimes even in one sitting. Spacechem doesn't give you an easy victory. Finishing the game is an actual in-game achievement, and unless you're a big coward and spoil the fun by walkthroughs, then it is really something to be proud of. What I really like is that players can choose their own difficulty, and not in the easy/medium/hard kind of way. See, the puzzle doesn't end when you finish it. Your solution is judged on its complexity and speed, and it is compared to solutions other players came up with. You can make do with a clumsy, slow solution, nobody will judge. But sooner or later you'll come back, eager to improve and dominate the charts. This gives you an additional challenge, as well as replayability. Replayability. In a puzzle game. Holy cow. And don't even get me started on how it feels when you come up with an elegant, WORKING solution. You watch the molecules moving around, turning and bonding, everything clicks in the place... it feels good. Really good. Cons? I don't know much about that. Oh yeah, you won't enjoy the story at all, because it is unlocked as you progress, and the progress in this game is very slow, sluggish even. So by the time you get to the next bit of narrative, both suspense and pace are completely dead. The most it can give you is a context to what is happening in the game. Yes, I just criticized a puzzle game for its narrative. Deal with it. I feel it has to be mentioned: Spacechem isn't a game for everybody, in fact it is quite niche. If you are that kind of person who sometimes spends hours thinking about a math problem that just popped up in their head, then get this game immediately, you'll love it to bits. If not, then I'd recommend trying it out regardless, but you're in for a risky purchase. Maybe wait for a discount?
