Mini Pipes is a 2D rotate-the-shapes puzzle in a grid format spread over 4 increasing sizes, where the aim is to connect up 5 differently shaped water pipe segments (including the tap) into one complete network from the tap to several outlets.

The game sensibly keeps things visually simple, from the options menu to the graphics. For this type of puzzle you neither need nor want elaborate, flashy graphics to distract from the task in hand. There are options to have dark (blue) on white, which is rather harsh, or those colours reversed, which is quite calming and probably the popular choice.

As mentioned, each puzzle is in a grid format, starting with the easy 4x4 size which guides you in very gently, going through 50 each of 5x5 and 7x7 up to 10x10. The difficulty increases accordingly, as more pieces means more possibilities. Some of the later 10x10 grids are really quite fiendish in context of the challenge at hand, so that's a thumbs up for clever level design. If you manage to complete all of these, the developers added in a further 40 bonus levels, 10 of each size, though you must tackle these in size sequence, no jumping about between them.

Music and sound effects are also subdued in the way that they support in the background rather than impose themselves on your consciousness. I note a couple of other reviewers turned them off, but I found them not to be a distraction at all, adding to the relaxed ambience and fitting the whole exceptionally well.

The actual grid that the pipe segments lie within can be switched on or off as you prefer. I never needed them but can see how having the lines present could aid some players with lining up connections in their mind's eye before making the attempt.

Gameplay is very straightforward even when the puzzles are not. A left click rotates clockwise, and a right click counter clockwise. Once each network is complete, the game quickly moves on to the next one. I would have liked continuation to have been manual rather than the quick change over, as I found it almost impossible to grab a screenshot before the next grid was being displayed.

The absence of a time limit for any puzzle, or any restrictions on the number of moves you are permitted, ensures that the game remains a broadly relaxing experience (albeit with a touch of trial-and-error frustration on the 10x10 grids occasionally) and should open up the game as a friendly option for general gamers who are not die-hard puzzle fans and just want something to spend 10-15 spare minutes with every now and again. Of course, adding in such hurdles might provide extra appeal to the diehards.

I generally won't review a game until I have totally completed it, and although my play time quoted probably includes a couple of hours runtime in the background, it nonetheless provided me with WAY more engagement than I expected when I chose to give it a go. The zero-learning-curve, quick-5-minutes-and-out-again, relaxing puzzle nature of the game is appealing and very well done.

I read one review suggesting to wait for a sale, but honestly, that is both laughable and insulting to the developers who have done a great job with this little gem. For the amount of game play you get, Mini Pipes would still be fair value at 3x the current price. If you like puzzles which don't leave you stressed out or frustrated, this is an ideal option.

I have just one note of concern though; I played this on a new, quite high spec laptop, and the game sent my fan into constant overdrive. There is clearly a lot more going on than is apparent – else some further optimisation would help. I'm not sure if this could cause problems for someone with an older computer with less processing capacity.

[h1]Overview[/h1] [i]Mini Pipes[/i] is a 2D rotate-the-shapes puzzle in a grid format spread over 4 increasing sizes, where the aim is to connect up 5 differently shaped water pipe segments (including the tap) into one complete network from the tap to several outlets. [h1]Presentation, user experience[/h1] The game sensibly keeps things visually simple, from the options menu to the graphics. For this type of puzzle you neither need nor want elaborate, flashy graphics to distract from the task in hand. There are options to have dark (blue) on white, which is rather harsh, or those colours reversed, which is quite calming and probably the popular choice. As mentioned, each puzzle is in a grid format, starting with the easy 4x4 size which guides you in very gently, going through 50 each of 5x5 and 7x7 up to 10x10. The difficulty increases accordingly, as more pieces means more possibilities. Some of the later 10x10 grids are really quite fiendish in context of the challenge at hand, so that's a thumbs up for clever level design. If you manage to complete all of these, the developers added in a further 40 bonus levels, 10 of each size, though you must tackle these in size sequence, no jumping about between them. Music and sound effects are also subdued in the way that they support in the background rather than impose themselves on your consciousness. I note a couple of other reviewers turned them off, but I found them not to be a distraction at all, adding to the relaxed ambience and fitting the whole exceptionally well. The actual grid that the pipe segments lie within can be switched on or off as you prefer. I never needed them but can see how having the lines present could aid some players with lining up connections in their mind's eye before making the attempt. Gameplay is very straightforward even when the puzzles are not. A left click rotates clockwise, and a right click counter clockwise. Once each network is complete, the game quickly moves on to the next one. I would have liked continuation to have been manual rather than the quick change over, as I found it almost impossible to grab a screenshot before the next grid was being displayed. The absence of a time limit for any puzzle, or any restrictions on the number of moves you are permitted, ensures that the game remains a broadly relaxing experience (albeit with a touch of trial-and-error frustration on the 10x10 grids occasionally) and should open up the game as a friendly option for general gamers who are not die-hard puzzle fans and just want something to spend 10-15 spare minutes with every now and again. Of course, adding in such hurdles might provide extra appeal to the diehards. [h1]Verdict[/h1] I generally won't review a game until I have totally completed it, and although my play time quoted probably includes a couple of hours runtime in the background, it nonetheless provided me with WAY more engagement than I expected when I chose to give it a go. The zero-learning-curve, quick-5-minutes-and-out-again, relaxing puzzle nature of the game is appealing and very well done. I read one review suggesting to wait for a sale, but honestly, that is both laughable and insulting to the developers who have done a great job with this little gem. For the amount of game play you get, Mini Pipes would still be fair value at 3x the current price. If you like puzzles which don't leave you stressed out or frustrated, this is an ideal option. I have just one note of concern though; I played this on a new, quite high spec laptop, and the game sent my fan into constant overdrive. There is clearly a lot more going on than is apparent – else some further optimisation would help. I'm not sure if this could cause problems for someone with an older computer with less processing capacity.