Do you remember back when you were a kid, before you understood the world, when everything around you was big, bold, and fuel for all your childhood fantasies? Back when you knew that a sturdy cardboard box, a few junked bicycle parts, and imagination were all you needed to build a rocketship to the stars? Well, get ready to feel that way all over again, courtesy of Wadjet Eye Games' new casual point-and-click puzzler, Puzzle Bots.

Puzzle Bots is the story of five small robot helpers, designed at Dr. Hugo's Factory for Making Robots to help people with the mundane tasks of daily chores. Of course, it wouldn't make for much of an adventure if these little guys were content to just sit around. Instead, the robots decide to work together and use their individual abilities to escape the factory and explore the world outside, causing more than a little mischief along the way. As they explore the factory and the surrounding areas, though, the team learns that something isn't quite right at Dr. Hugo's. After digging a little deeper into the mystery, the robots soon realize that it's up to them to play the role of hero and save their creators from the dangers looming just around the corner.

Gameplay in Puzzle Bots is a pretty simple and straightforward experience. Each of the robots has a specialized function. Hero can pick up and carry small objects. Ultrabot can push objects too large or heavy for Hero. Kelvin is armed with a nifty little flamethrower. Ibi is waterproof and can operate underwater, and Bombchelle can, well, blow things up. In each stage, you simply click on the robot you want to use at a given time, click on an area of the screen to move it to, and finally click on the object you want the robot to interact with. Wash, rinse, and repeat. Make no mistake about it, though. Just because the gameplay in Puzzle Bots is simple, it doesn't mean that the game is. Sure, the puzzles start off simple enough, but by the time you're in the later stages of the game, some of the puzzles will have you ripping your hair out in frustration. Still, even the most difficult puzzles all have those "Eureka!" moments when you realize the solution has been staring you in the face the whole time.

As far as the overall presentation in Puzzle Bots goes, let's just say it's not exactly "cutting edge". Visually, the game is pretty basic, with simple 2D artwork and animation. There's not a lot of extra detail in the graphics, but then again, in a game like this there doesn't really need to be any. On the other hand, the voiceover work in top notch. Unlike a lot of games, Puzzle Bots' voice actors don't just phone it in, and deliver their lines with hilarious aplomb. It might not be the prettiest game on the market, but Puzzle Bots is such a blast to play, it more than makes up for and visual shortcomings.

If there's any major fault to Puzzle Bots, it's that the whole experience is over way too fast. From start to finish, the game only takes a few hours at most to complete. And as with a lot of these puzzle solving styles of game, once you've figured out a solution to any particular stage, there's never a reason to go back to it. Without any sort of replay value, some people might be hard pressed to justify shelling out the game's $15 price tag for such a short game. Whether or not one night of brain teasing and chuckles is worth the price of admission will be a matter of personal preference.

At the end of the day, Puzzle Bots is one of those unique little gems that proves a game doesn't have to be "state of the art" to still be a lot of fun. It's a nice little exercise for the mind and good for a few solid laughs. These little robots pack a lot of entertainment into a small package. Unfortunately, like ordering a meal at a high priced restaurant, you might enjoy the food, but still leave hungry for more than you paid for.

Final Score: B