Puzzle Chronicles combines action-puzzle gameplay with the character development and swords-and-sorcery plotline of a classic role-playing game. Following the trail blazed by D3Publisher's surprise hit Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, Chronicles gamers take the role of a great hero, exploring a harsh fantasy realm and fighting against monsters and villains, in battles that are won and lost by playing a competitive action-puzzle game. The basic play mechanic of the puzzle game is similar to that of Sega's classic Columns, except that pieces move horizontally instead of falling vertically. A line of multicolored square tiles moves