PQ: Practical Intelligence Quotient review

Think you're a genius? Here's your chance to prove it

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There is, however, a dark side to all of this: Unless you're a genius, some of the levels are guaranteed to make you angry. For example, one particularly epic (and frustrating) stage near the end forces you to build a staircase by fitting together irregular blocks, build another staircase going down and then dodge a flashlight guard while carrying weights from the beginning of the stage to a pressure-sensitive door near the exit. This level is emblematic of PQ's chief flaw: While it's addictive as hell, it takes a long time to muddle your way through some of these puzzles, and undoing 10 minutes of work by accidentally stepping in front of a guard or a laser is the sort of thing that induces psychotic rage.

Checkpoints would solve this, although that would probably be cheating. Interestingly enough, though, cheating is easy: once you've run down the timer and your moves trying to trial-and-error your way through a level, simply quit the game and restart the level. Provided you don't make any more mistakes, you're brilliant (at least as far as your score is concerned).

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GenreFamily
DescriptionIn spite of its flaws, PQ is an extremely addictive, innovative title that gives PSP-owning puzzle fans a welcome break from falling-block games.
Platform"PSP"
US censor rating"Everyone"
UK censor rating""
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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Mikel Reparaz
After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.