By Brad Cook
The ancients never had it this hard. You’ve been recruited to help Genyz and his genies rebuild the world’s seven Wonders — including the Egyptian Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, and Chichen Itza — but to do so, you’ll need to carefully build towers made of blocks of various shapes. Don’t let your ever-taller structure lean too far to one side, because it could fall over, but don’t linger while placing your blocks, or rising flood waters will wash away all your hard work. And make sure you take into consideration the laws of physics and gravity, because a poorly placed block can easily tumble off the tower, resulting in a five-second penalty and elevated flood waters.
In Story mode, work your way through the seven Wonders one at a time, employing a variety of methods to complete each job. Each Wonder ends with a final battle against a boss, such as Dio, who wants to keep you from completing Chichen Itza. The methods are:
- Classic: Build your tower until you reach the goal line
- Throw: Toss blocks from the genie on one platform to the next; time your throws just right
- Tangram: Fill in the shadow pattern by dropping blocks in the right spots
- Carry: Place blocks on top of the one being pushed by Genyz
- Aiming: Toss blocks onto the tower from the genie on the left or right side; make sure you place them correctly to keep the structure from tipping over
While building a tower, place two or more blocks of the same color so they’re touching to create a combo and earn bonus points. The more blocks you connect, the more points you’ll score, and if you group four or more, you’ll earn a gold block that automatically sticks to any block in that combo, regardless of how it’s placed.
Combos also free bonuses that are occasionally trapped in blocks. Touch the floating bonus with your next block to unleash its power, which might be a reward of more time or extra points, the ability to change the current block’s color, an increase or decrease in the flood level, or the stickiness of a gold block. The bonus could also blow the blocks, making them difficult to place on the stack.
More to Explore
As you progress through Story mode, you unlock challenges that build on the skills you’ve developed. Any time you want a quick round of fun, choose Instant Play for some levels randomly chosen from the ones you’ve already completed.
Story mode also comes with gifts from Genyz, such as a Mayan helmet at Chichen Itza, for completing levels. You can review your gifts in the Game Results menu, which also includes lifetime statistics for Story and Challenge modes.
People may have taken centuries to build the world’s seven Wonders, but you could equal their feat in mere days. Good luck.
Tips and Tricks
- You can press up to nudge a block a little higher, which comes in handy if you’re about to miss the top of the tower.
- Beware when the tower starts swaying: You might think you have a block in the perfect spot, but the tower can move out from under it at the last second, causing it to fall off the side.
- Don’t be afraid to stack blocks next to each other, when possible, to build a solid foundation.
- During the throwing levels, pay attention to the genies’ location on the platforms above you; they will take a few seconds to move to the optimal spot. Time your throws carefully, giving the next genie just enough lead time to catch the block.
- If you have a fourth generation iPod nano, you can use its accelerometer to move blocks side to side by tilting the device.
iPod Games FAQ
Do you have questions regarding any of the iPod games available from the iTunes Store?
A Chip Off the Old Block Toss. Help rebuild the Egyptian pyramids by throwing blocks up the line.
More iPod Games
System Requirements
- Mac OS X version 10.3.9 or Windows 2000
- iPod nano (3rd and 4th generation only), iPod classic, or iPod (5th generation only). Not playable on your computer, other iPod models, iPod touch or iPhone. Please check which iPod model you have.
- iTunes 7.5 or higher required to download (games cannot be played in iTunes)