"Deluxe" is in the eye of the beholder.

Paraphrasing an old joke, when we buy a bad iPhone game, we sometimes complain that it’s too short. With Columns Deluxe, you’ll at least get two disappointing games for one price; Puyo Pop is bundled along. Both titles are pulled from the canon of classic puzzles, and both are among the worst versions ever released.

In Columns, you eliminate groups of three-or-more gems by matching symbols in horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. You control only the position of the falling blocks and the order of their three shapes, making it feel unique enough compared to other games. Puyo Pop drops two blobs at a time, requires you to match four for elimination, and any touching colors count towards that total, not just those in a line. The rules of the two games are complementary, letting gamers figure out the nuance of one after mastering the other. So at least the games fit together.

Don't cry, little blobs. We'll always remember you from better versions of Puyo Pop.

Unfortunately, these games commit a range of iPhone errors. The interface to just begin playing is strangely different than the regular iPhone look-and-feel; you can’t pick a new option just by tapping it. Accelerometer controls steer the falling pieces but frequently frustrate; we regularly overshot our target at the last moment. Touch controls worked better, but still felt imprecise, a major problem for a puzzle game. About every ten moves, we made a mistake, ruining prior planning.