So, I recently got Patapon for the PSP and not since Tetris (and that goes wa-a-ay back) have I had a game so stuck in my head. Variations of the Patapon tune have been playing in my brain's background for over a full week now. And I've been punctuating my actions--not always subvocally--with the corresponding Patapon rhythm: PATA-PATA-PATA-PON when I'm walking down the street. PON-PATA-PON-PATA when I'm retreating from work at the end of the day. And, my favourite: PON-PON-CHAKA-CHAKA!!! when I'm charging up the radge within!

To come back to Tetris... I remember when that first came out and everyone I knew who played it experienced the same thing: at night, when they went to bed, their mind's eye would be filled with Tetris blocks, and they would 'play' Tetris in their heads until they fell asleep. It happened to dozens of people that I knew. I started calling it Tetrisitis. (And I've just read on Wikipedia that it's officially called the "Tetris Effect".)

Apart from Tetris and Patapon, the only other game I can think of that has commandeered my brain for days or weeks has been Dr. Mario. Oh, and Qix! (Man, that goes wa-a-ay back even beyond Tetris!)

So, here's the count so far:

• Patapon
• Tetris
• Dr. Mario
• Qix

Can you think of any other games that get stuck in your head when you first start to play them?