'The definitive telling of one of the most fascinating stories in videogame history.'

– Wired

‘A great read on a game that has hypnotized my brain and probably yours too.’

– Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple

'From its launch in 1984 [Tetris] created a generation of gamers drawn by its irresistible block-stacking brilliance...The story of its conception is just as addictive; think courtroom dramas and global intrigue, all relayed in Ackerman's bewitching prose'.

– Monocle

'Fascinating'

– Sunday Herald

‘How [Tetris] came to the West is a remarkably complicated cloak-and-dagger story…The Tetris Effect is full of fascinating facts.’

– Spectator

‘The Tetris Effect is a page-turning, block-stacking, globe-trotting thriller/history book, covering the epic creation saga of one of the greatest video games ever made or played.’

– Ernest Cline, author of Ready Player One

‘The Tetris Effect explains how one guy in Russia with one little game ended up creating a global business and cultural phenomenon... Ackerman tells the story of the first and quintessential start-up.’

– Douglas Rushkoff

‘Tetris broke social, cultural and technological boundaries in a way that nobody, including the meek Russian researcher who designed the game, could have predicted. Ackerman pieces the story together with flair and diligence in a brilliant account of the video game that everybody from the Soviet government to Japanese moguls wanted for their own.’

– Simon Parkin, author of Death by Video Game and contributing writer, New Yorker.com

‘The author provides a meticulous accounting of the rise of “Tetris”…For those fascinated with the way video games are created and intrigued by the history of early computers, the book will provide great entertainment, just like the game…An all-inclusive history behind one of the most popular video games ever.’

– Kirkus Reviews

‘Ackerman doles out intrigue worthy of Robert Ludlum or Tom Clancy. It’s a behind-the-Iron Curtain nail-biter.’

– LA Review of Books