Crystal Cave Classic is one of those small games with predictable gameplay that you can jump in and out of without feeling too badly about yourself. Not every game you play has to be about innovation; sometimes a well-iterated staple can be just as enjoyable.

In CCC, you take control of a little pith-helmeted explorer-type. The idea is to finish each level by collecting all gemstones on-screen. You have four-directional controls, and that's it. Once you've grabbed all gems, you're on to the next stage. However, each level builds on the previous one, and new elements keep getting introduced, providing enough of a challenge to want to continue.

Although it's all 2D gameplay, there is some minor physics work going on that you'll need to be mindful of as you're traversing each level. Objects from higher levels will drop to lower levels if left without support. If, for example, you cross beneath a boulder and just stand there, it will crush you. This includes the very gemstones that you're trying to collect; you'd think that because you can just walk over them to get them, they wouldn't hurt you otherwise, but nope.

Preventing you from collecting gemstones are breakable walls that must be destroyed by falling boulders. Most of the time you have to roll the boulders to the correct drop point to do this, or clear a channel through sand for the boulders to do their work.

To complicate this simple mechanic are iron walls that can only be dissolved with acid that comes in glass bottles; glass walls that must be tapped to break; 8-balls that keep rolling after they've hit ground, and other assorted mechanics. You have access to dynamite that can be thrown or pushed into walls; elevators that will lift you or an object to another level; joker tiles that don't drop to the ground when moved into an empty space; and flip tiles that, when accessed, turn the entire level upside down, leading to some intriguing gameplay.

Of course, there are enemies to contend with as well. Some of these move along predictable paths, some are a little more devious, but all must be crushed by falling objects. Some of these creatures yield a single gemstone when destroyed; others give you multiple gems.

Probably the strangest thing about Crystal Cave Classic is that the characters and playing field are presented in a traditional side view, but your character moves in the field as though it were inhabiting a top-down space. All the mechanics operate as though it were side view. It's not a huge issue, but it gets weird if you stop to think about it for too long. You can check out the demo right here on Big Download for both Mac and PC.