Puzznic is a puzzle

Computer puzzle game

Puzzle video games are a genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles to be solved can test many problem solving skills including logic, strategy, pattern recognition, sequence solving, and word completion....

 arcade game

Arcade game

An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...

. It was developed and produced by Taito

Taito Corporation

The is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company....

 in 1989 and was ported for the Nintendo Entertainment System

Nintendo Entertainment System

The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...

, Game Boy

Game Boy

The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...

, PC Engine, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST

Atari ST

The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...

, Amstrad CPC

Amstrad CPC

The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...

, Commodore 64

Commodore 64

The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...

, DOS

DOS

DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...

 and ZX Spectrum

ZX Spectrum

The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...

 between 1990 and 1991. Home computer ports were handled by Ocean Software

Ocean Software

The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s...

; the 2003 PlayStation port was handled by Altron

Altron

Altron is a Japanese video game developer and publisher located in: Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It was found in: 1983...

. An Apple IIGS

Apple IIGS

The Apple , the fifth and most powerful model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The "GS" in the name stands for Graphics and Sound, referring to its enhanced graphics and sound capabilities, both of which greatly surpassed previous models of the line...

 port was completed in 1990, however was never commercially released (a leaked copy was however circulated). A clone for the PC, Brix

Brix (computer game)

Brix is a puzzle game for the IBM PC, developed by Michael Riedel and produced and published by Epic MegaGames in 1992. It is a clone of Taito's Puzznic, and thus bears strong graphical and some gameplay similarities to Flipull/Plotting, also produced by Taito.-Gameplay:Brix presents the player...

, was released by Epic MegaGames

Epic Games

Epic Games, Inc., also known as Epic and formerly Epic MegaGames, is an American video game development company based in Cary, North Carolina. Its most recent success has been the Gears of War series of games, although it is also known for its Unreal Engine technology. It is the parent company of...

 in 1992.

Puzznic bears strong graphical and some gameplay similarities to Flipull/Plotting

Flipull/Plotting

Flipull/Plotting is a Taito puzzle video game from 1989. It is called Flipull in Japan as well as in versions for the Famicom and Game Boy, and Plotting in versions for the Atari ST, Commodore Amiga, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, GX4000 and ZX Spectrum. All are based on an arcade game which goes by...

. An indie remake was made in 2009 for iPhone, called Gem Panic, and a range of Puzznic clones called 'Puzzle Magic' have appeared on mobiles. Many games share the same basic gameplay of Puzznic but have added extra features over the years:- Puzztrix on the web and on PC, Addled and Germinal on the iPhone, Puzzled on mobile phones.