The hacking mini-game in BioShock caused quite a stir. It engrossed the minds of some, frustrated the lives of others, and left a lasting impression on just about everyone who played through one of the finest single-player shooters.

But what many of BioShock’s players didn’t know is that the hacking game was actually inspired by an old puzzle game from the 90s: Pipe Mania. In Pipe Mania, players must lay out several pieces of pipe in order to connect the flow of water – called Flooze – with the final end of the pipe system. Essentially a puzzle game of aligning point A with point B, Pipe Mania didn’t have falling blocks or spherical walls to twist and spin. It was anything but traditional, and that’s what people liked about the game.

But like water down the drain, this franchise eventually disappeared. Feeling it was time to resurrect this pipe-challenged puzzler, Empire Interactive, together with Razorworks, pieced together a new iteration – Pipe Mania (anyone surprised by the title? Anyone?) – for a new generation and for older players eager to return. The game is just as difficult as you’d expect. But is it as fun you may remember?

Water may be the primary substance in this game, but it’s not the only thing you’ll be using to reach the goal. In addition to the liquid-based Flooze, conveyer belts must be formed to create a safe passage for toys. In other stages you’ll place new pieces of track to allow a train to pass through. And that’s probably the best way to describe the gameplay: you are not the hero or antagonist, just a plumber (male or female), railroad worker, and overall multi-task expert that must ensure the flow of the object or substance – whatever it may be – isn’t broken.

The flow breaks down whenever (A) you screw up or (B) are attacked by an opponent. The former is most common since not all stages incorporate AI-controlled competitors. Pipes come in about 15 different forms, including Straights, Elbows (angled pieces), Crosses (used to form a loop), Bonuses (straights that award a higher score), One Ways (can only pass through in one direction), Reservoirs (slows down Flooze), Pumps (speeds up Flooze), Splitters (splits Flooze into two paths), Joiners (joins two Flooze paths together), Bridges (form a cross from an existing straight), Random and Teleport.

Each type is vital because you always need a specific piece to succeed. There is no set way for defeating a level – you can lay out the pipeline as you wish. But if you dig yourself into a hole by laying too many Elbows or by wasting your Straights, the game won’t be tricky – it’ll be downright difficult. Like the hacking game in BioShock, the normal Flooze type never stops coming. You get a breather in the beginning – a few seconds to begin laying pipe. But once the liquid starts pouring through, you have to keep placing new pipe in order to keep them from leaking. If the Flooze reaches the last pipe and that pipe isn’t connected to the goal, water will start to seep through. If you’re playing one of the modes with the leak meter, you’ll have a few seconds to get your act together. But if not – Game Over.

In addition to the normal Flooze type with continuous flow, players have to worry about Pulse (a constrained, non-continuous collection) and Jump (leaps across a large area in one swift move).

These features amount to a game that is addictive but repetitive and enjoyable but unnecessarily exasperating. Players will love how the game gradually introduces new elements and obstacles. Just when you think you’ve seen ‘em all, a new one appears to remind us that we may never get through the game’s 300+ puzzles.

However, swapping pipeline – a feature BioShock players surely appreciated – is not an option in Pipe Mania. Instead, you can destroy any piece by placing a new one over it (so long as the existing piece wasn’t already there when the level began). While that may sound great in theory, shapes arrive at random. Players can see the next five pipes on the top left corner of the screen. But they’re dispersed in the order that they’re shown, which cannot be changed.

Pipes are literally destroyed before new ones are placed, complete with a brief animation to show it on screen. That animation only lasts a couple seconds, but that’s long enough to kill your success if you have to get through five (or more) pipes before the one you want is available. Your final score will be reduced for every pipe that is destroyed or left unused, creating another issue that’s impossible to avoid.

Addictive or frustrating, your enjoyment for Pipe Mania comes down to how much you enjoyed the original game and/or the hacking game in BioShock. Fans of both will gladly take the bad to reap the benefits of the good. But is it enough for other puzzle fans? The $20 price tag is fairly inviting. You’d likely spend $8 just to rent it for a week. At that rate, if you love puzzle games and want something unique, give it a shot.

Gameplay: 7.0
Challenges you to endure intense speeds, unavoidable frustrations, and rehashed gameplay. But like that BioShock hacking game, it manages to be addictive. You may find it hard to quit, even when you're furious and sick of losing.

Graphics: 2.0
Bare-bones 2D visuals.

Sound: 2.0
Low-end sounds to match the dated visuals.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
It starts out easy and then, before you know it, you're screaming in agony.

Concept: 7.0
Flooze for a new generation with a plethora of revisions.

Multiplayer: 6.9
The two-player offline-only gameplay is limited but can be addictive when faced with the right competitor.

Overall: 7.0
Pipe-laying, Flooze-passing gameplay in its weirdest and most addictive form. Expect cloudy skies and storms of frustrations, but if you like unique puzzle games it's worth a try.