This pretty Flash puzzle game is oddly titled Bear & Cat, and yet it is really just a clone of PopCap Games' popular game of Zuma from a couple of years ago—which itself was a clone of Mitchell's Puzz Loop game from 1998.

The player shoots colored balls onto the play field containing a spiral of balls inching closer to the center. The object of the game is to create groups of 3 or more of the same color, which are then eliminated from play. Clear all the balls before the train reaches the bear to move on to the next level. Power-ups and combos add a little spice to the mix.

The graphics in this version are very nicely done, and the soundtrack is mesmerizing. And yet this version is but a cheap imitation of Puzz Loop's excellent class-defining spin on the classic game of Bust-a-Move from 1994. Still, Bear & Cat is a pretty game that is good Flash fun for what it's worth. Click.

Bear & Cat originates from Flashempire.com, the first and largest Flash portal website in China. Bear & Cat is a series of games available on Flashempire.com, to which the game above belongs.

The Flashempire site must get beaucoup traffic, because it took forever for pages to load—that, and maybe because China is half-way around the world from me. I would have preferred to link to the original game, and may in the future if the link above is moved or otherwise disabled.

Thanks go out to Nowak for setting me straight on the likely origin of this class of ball-popping puzzle game.