Columns

1992, Age 10

I first played Columns on the Game Gear, then the Genesis, and I still play it from time to time (purchased off the Wii channel).

The thing about Columns that made it stick to me more than its contemporary, Tetris, was how quick the reversals were (which came from groups of diagonals being counted). You could get yourself in a serious mess, and one fortuitously placed column could start a chain reaction to get you back on your feet.

It was difficult to plan these occasions but they were always welcome, and I always felt like they were my doing, not just random fate.