We've all travelled across a bridge at some point in our lives, and we've stopped on more than one occasion to marvel at their impressive structural designs. But while crossing these bridges, have you ever wondered what it takes to design and construct perfectly balanced bridges like Isambard Kingdom Brunel's suspension bridges? Well, it's now a lot easier to understand with Bridge Constructor on the PlayStation 4.

The whole game is level-based, and in each one you are tasked with bridging a gap over a river or a gorge in order to transport cars, vans, and trucks from one side to the other. The catch is that you are on a strict budget and have to manage what resources to purchase. You start out with simple levels, using only wood for construction, and as you progress through the levels the gap is widened and more materials are introduced. You are given concrete to make pillars, cable to support the road from above, and steel to make sturdy beams that support the bridge from below. The variety in construction material really opens up the game for you to be able to make your own choices of what type of bridge you'd like to create.

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The game's physics appear to be very accurate. It's important to create well balanced bridges, especially when using the tense cables; if one part of the bridge is slightly out of balance, the weight will often all be placed on one section and the whole thing will come crashing down. This makes each level a challenge to complete as a lot of thought is needed in designing a sturdy enough structure for vehicles to cross.

Although the game has a simple presentation, with a very bare-bones user interface and very plain environments, it's clean, challenging, and very addictive. Once you have successfully built and traversed a bridge, you just can't help but go straight onto building another one. The controls are equally simple: anyone can pick up and play, all that is required is to select a material using the X button and then draw lines between points to connect materials together using the analogue sticks.

Conclusion

Bridge Constructor is a simplistic physics puzzle game that will keep you busy for more than a few hours. Its simple presentation, controls, and accurate physics make the release an enjoyably addictive experience. If you enjoy physics or have ever stopped on a bridge and marvelled at its sturdiness before, then this game is definitely worth a go – even if it's just to cross a gap between bigger releases.