Tetris is a game that's gotten a lot more publicity than it probably deserves. It was the first puzzle game, and has sparked several knockoffs, cheap imitations and sequels, yet it is Tetris that is always the center of controversy. Some say it's the perfect game, with it's simplistic gameplay and high replay value. Some say it's a piece of shit that's no good because you can't beat it and it gets boring playing the same thing over and over again. Here I'll tell you what I think about it.

Graphics

There's not much to speak of in the way of graphics. Tiny shapes made up of four small squares, and that's about it. The pieces in Tetris are called tetrads, which are all 7 possible variations of four equal sized squares. The tetrads do have different patterns on them though, and there are some OK looking arabian buildings in the beginning and when you finish the B game. Since this is a Gameboy game, the graphics are all in black and white, but there is a new DX version for GBC and you can colorize it through Super Gameboy. Other than that, there's really nothing to say.
Graphics Rating: 50

Gameplay

This is where Tetris gets interesting. The object is to fit the falling tetrads together so there are no spaces in them, horizontally. When you get one horizontal line with no unfilled spaces in it, the line dissapears and your score and line count go up. If the tetrads pile up and touch the top of the screen, you lose. Simple as that. But in that simplistic face there is a lot of combinations, it's very addictive when you first start playing. Like I said, there are 7 tetrads, each of which will be useful in different situations. Unfortunately, there's no way of choosing which tetrad you'll use next, there is however a space off to the right of the playing area that shows you which tetrad is coming next, so you can get ready for it and think about where you'll put it. The only real extra I can think of in Tetris is the tetris, which is where you clear out 4 lines at one time. It's pretty hard to get a tetris, and can only be done by stacking up pieces perfectly for 4 rows, leaving one space open all the way down, and then getting a straight line piece. This will give you a ton of points. There are 2 games, game A and game B. Game A is my personal choice, that's where you play until your screen stacks up to see how many lines you can get, it has no end. In Game B you see how many points you can get, it ends when you get 25 lines, or if your tetrads pile up to the top. You can also choose between 3 different choices of music to listen to as you play. The gameplay is very good, but I got bored of it after a few days of playing. I've found myself going back to it every now and then, and on long road trips it's unbeatable, since you don't really have to be into it very much to play. It's very good for quickplay value as well.
Gameplay Rating: 90

Sound

As I said, Tetris gives you 3 choices of music to listen to as you play, and are the only songs you are able to hear throughout the playing time. You also have the option of playing without music. The songs sound like they have a heavy Russian influence to them, which would make sense because the game originated in Russia. I myself found the music very easy to listen to, it really helps my playing ability (I always choose music A). The sound effects are done quite nicely too, and it has a sound effect for just about everything. Not bad in the sound department.
Sound Rating: 83

Replay Value

Depending on what type of gameplayer you are, you'll either replay this a lot or not much at all. It's not really very "replayable" at all, since by my definition replaying is playing it after you've beaten it, and it is impossible to officially beat Tetris. However, you will find yourself playing this long after you've bought it. It has an addictive edge to it, it's something that you can't quite put your finger on but it keeps you coming back for more. If you're ever on a car trip and are stuck in the back seat, definately take this along. It's saved me from absolute boredom on many cross country trips, while other Gameboy games seems too difficult to get into to play on the road. Good for some people, but too simplistic for others.
Replay Value: 82

Overall: 73
(not an average)

Tetris is a good game to own for your Gameboy. However, if I was going to buy some games right now for my Gameboy (assuming I didn't already own Tetris), Tetris wouldn't be one of them. It may be great to a lot of people and it may be the first puzzle game that spawned many great games, but I don't think it's all that it's cracked up to be and that it's overrated.