Released on both the PSP and DS earlier this year, Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords introduced a unique gameplay experience, taking a conventional style puzzle game and infusing it with RPG elements - and the result was one of the biggest surprises of the year. Now that the game has come to the Xbox Live Arcade, online play has been added, which is very a welcome addition. Plus, at only 1200 Microsoft Points ($15), you're getting a great game for one heck of a deal.

You begin by picking from one of four classes; druid, knight, warrior and wizard. This is an important decision, because each class has its own set of skills and levels up differently. Once you've done this and picked a picture for your character, you're ready to set out on your quest. The story is fairly basic; you've got kingdoms fighting against each other and an evil force ready to threaten everyone. Surprisingly, the game does a good job with the story and its characters, although the main attraction of Puzzle Quest is its inventive gameplay.

While it borrows from Bejeweled, it adds its own RPG twists to the formula. First off, you have an opponent, which forces you to think ahead and play strategically. Each of you take turns trying to match up three or more gems in a row on an 8x8 grid, which is accomplished by switching two gems with each other, either vertically or horizontally. Once a row of three or more gems has been created and the gems vanish, new ones drop down, keeping the screen full - exactly in the style of Bejeweled. To attack your opponent, you must match up three or more skulls and there are also coins and purple stars that reward you with money and experience respectively. The red, blue, green, and yellow gems that populate the game grid each act as a specific type of mana and by filling your mana bars by matching them up you can use the special attacks that you've learned. Each of your attacks have various effects, whether it be gaining an extra turn or collecting all of the experience on the board.

The combat system is handled very well, because it easily could have been overly complex. However, Puzzle Quest is a simple game that's easy to learn yet engaging to play for hours on end. Unfortunately, the difficulty is uneven; many times you'll find yourself struggling in a random encounter on the map, which makes matching up four and five pieces together very important, since it gives you an extra turn. You'll also need to pay attention to wild card multipliers in tough matches; some people may like this because it does keep you on your toes, but it would work better if the difficulty was a little more consistent.

The combat is at the forefront, but you can't help but be impressed with the RPG elements. You gain experience with each battle and leveling up allows you to allocate points to various categories. Also important is your equipment, which gives you small bonuses such as dealing out more damage or gaining more experience with each battle. Just when you think that the game's shown you all it has to offer, other features start to become available within your citadel. Some of these include capturing enemies and using them as mounts, creating new items and learning new spells - and that's just the tip of the iceberg. All of this becomes somewhat overwhelming, but in a good way, as you'll always have all kinds of options available, so if you want to lay siege on a city then go ahead.

To do all of this you have to journey through the Puzzle Quest world, which is easy thanks to the straightforward world map. Different points of interests, such as cities and caves, are visible on your map and getting to those places is as simple as clicking on them. Along the way you might come across enemies, but random encounters are few and far between so you won't find traveling frustrating. Another plus is the fact that you will sometimes see your enemies on the screen, allowing you to pick your fights. Also, there is the occasional side mission that you'll stumble upon in certain areas, so it's always good to be on the lookout.

Puzzle Quest's visuals aren't anything too special, but they feature some nice 2D art. The overworld map is detailed nicely, there are many vibrant colors and the character design is very good. You can play the game on an HDTV and while it does enhance the graphics a bit, it's not essential. The music lies in the same category - it fits the game well, but becomes repetitive when you're playing for long periods of time. And speaking of long periods of time, Puzzle Quest is a very addictive game - sometimes you'll find yourself playing for a while without even realizing it and it's also a game that can be played in short bursts. There are quite a few side quests and the online play element is excellent; being able to take your created character online against other opponents is great and it can result in some really competitive matches. It will last you far longer than the average puzzle game, thanks to the depth that its RPG elements provide.

After playing Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, I couldn't help but feel surprised that a game like this hasn't been made sooner - what seems like an unlikely combination ends up being a perfect match. Fans of both puzzle games and RPGs will love the game, and even if you're not a big fan of either genre, it still provides a satisfying experience. Its creative gameplay is something special and the RPG elements add a lot of replay value, as does the online play. If the game were $30 it would still be worth the purchase, but the fact that it's only $15 makes it one of the current highlights of the Xbox Live Arcade.

Reviewed by Anthony LaBella for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).