I remember as a kid having those plastic puzzles where you slid the pieces up and down and all around until you got them in the right order.  It could be numbers, letters, or if you were real lucky, a nice picture. While it has been years since I held one of them in my hands, electronic versions of the sliding puzzle games are now relevant on the PC as well as on mobile devices such as the iPhone.

If you were to swap a picture with a physics based theme then you would have the beginnings of an idea of what to expect with the game Cogs. That is because the game Cogs does not limit itself to two dimensions but to three.  By wrapping the puzzle around multiple sides of a cube then you end up with a 3D puzzle that adds an extra dimension of difficulty when it comes to solving the puzzle.

The physics portion of the game involves solving each particular puzzle using gears, pipes, balloons, and much more. The game not only contains 50 puzzles for the low low price of $0.99 but you can also purchase additional puzzles in batches of 10 from within the game.  The puzzles start out easy enough and additional levels are unlocked as you progress and gain experience.

The game is played in an Inventor mode where you gain points based on the number of moves and the amount of time used to solve each puzzle as well as a Time Challenge mode where you are given only 30 seconds to solve each puzzle and a Move Challenge mode where you must attempt to solve the puzzle in 10 moves or less.  The levels in the latter two modes are unlocked by completing them first in the Inventor mode.

While all this might sound challenging (and it is…), the best part of the game is the absolutely gorgeous graphics which are accompanied by a beautiful sound track as well. Once you start the game it is hard to put down because not only do the levels get more and more challenging but the  graphics are so beautiful and the animations so fluid that it easily makes my top ten list of must have games to keep on my iPhone.  The only thing more surprising than the quality of the game is the incredible deal.  I struggle to think of a better game that you can get for less than a buck.