I would give this a "meh" if I could, but the thumbs down calls attention to the fact that this is just a mediocre puzzler. [Update: Played a little more. Definitely thumbs down and not meh -- all that was unpleasant about it got worse, and nothing got any more satisfying.]

The mechantic is a bit chore-like to me (an avid puzzle game player) but maybe others will like it. It is (after a few levels) a one-way-only thing, with no great sense of satisfaction for finding it (contrast Hue Bots: often one-way-only, but deeping satisfying to find it).

But the real disappointment is the organic chemistry hook, which is really not done well. Perhaps if someone was learning for the first time about valence shell reactions it would be a lesson. But if that means nothing to you, don't expect to learn much from the mechanics, let alone the uninteresting random factoids about the chemicals you built. And if you know a lot and were just looking forward to reliving high-school discoveries, it fails also because it just feels like a chore.

For die-hard puzzle gamers or intense chemistry enthusiasts, maybe, but for me, I'm going to give this a thumbs-down. It is absolutely well designed, attractive, and clever. However, the nature of the puzzle solving, especially as you get further into it, involves almost entirely constructing the entire path to the solution in your head before even beginning, and I found this more tedious and annoying than enjoyable problem-solving.

WARNING for Linux users: it requires Adobe AIR, which is not supported for Linux anymore. Check the forum discussion (http://steamcommunity.com/app/290260/discussions/0/41973821283751396/) for more info.

Aside from problems with Linux support, I found the game itself to be very good.

It's OK, but for a real puzzle challenge, the better choice is SpaceChem by far

I'm not really super into puzzles for the sake of puzzling.

It's really smooth, easy to pick up, hard to beat (without cheating), and is slightly educational. I guess if you love puzzles and wanna learn some things about molecules, you'd dig it.

I don't.

A cool little puzzler with bits and pieces of info about chemistry as you play. I suppose it is a neat way to visualize single and double bonds, etc., but this cannot be considered a learning tool beyond anything but the very, very basics. As a puzzle game, it is challenging and complex, akin to a book of brain teasers. The "no" rating is to say, there's about 50 cents or a dollar worth of entertainment here. Get it on sale, or in a bundle, or search "brainteasers" online and have about as much fun with whatever comes up in search results.

I feel bad giving this a not recommended. I just didn't enjoy it. If I can't have fun with a game I can't recommend it. It does have a lot of good points so many can enjoy the game.

Pros:
Lots of levels. This is not an hour long puzzle game to finish. It will take hours upon hours until you can completely finish it. That's great when looking for price value in a game.

Difficult Level. They aren't simple click and you're done puzzles. It will take some work at moving things around to figure out each level. While this could be a detractor to some, I think most will find the challenge to be enjoyable.

Unlike some of those cheap little puzzlers you have options like windowed mode to allow for it to hang out while to you back and forth to it.

Cons:
I just didn't really enjoy doing it. It reminded me of Chip's Challenge without the fun skates. The only reason I continued on and finished it was my own need to finish all my puzzle games to completion.

I got it in a bundle and I loved most of the other games so I wasn't about to return it. I might have if I got it solo. Sadly, it just wasn't my niche. But I experienced no trouble with the program and there were no annoying features that should be warned about.

In the 08 May 2015 article "The 25 Best Puzzle Games Ever Made,"

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/05/08/best-puzzle-games/

"Sokobond" made number 21 on that list. I disagree. If you really, really like Sokobon-type puzzles and would like to see a chemistry twist to those, then the 144 levels in this game (124 regular and 20 bonus) should keep you going for a while. But, I had issues with it ranging from my own mistaken desires on up (or down, as the case may be). From least important to more important:

- This one's my own fault. When I bought this, I figured it would be more of a way to see how molecules got built within a game framework. Instead, it's a Sokobon-type game using clumps of atoms as the "blocks" that you move around until you get the final molecule. "Sokobon" as most of the name ought to have clued me in. So, just disregard this one.

- The interface is keyboard only. It would be a lot easier on the wrists if we could use the mouse to move things around.

- The progression through the game is indicated by the filling in of a periodic table. For whatever reason, the periodic table used appears to be wrong. Even taking into consideration the developer's desire for contiguous pieces in that table, their version still appears to contain four extra elements. Sort of odd in a game based around chemistry.

- There's no "proper" progression through the puzzles. I'd have thought the puzzles would start with the simplest molecules (restricted to the organic set of Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen (they throw in Helium, but it appears to be a type of mobile blocker to the puzzle since it doesn't bond with anything) and work up from there. Instead, there's only a fairly general increase in molecular complexity. Similarly, it's fairly open which order you proceed through that periodic table of puzzles. So, at any given moment you might be working with different atoms, different complexity, and different game mechanisms to build things.

- I'd expected more of an educational bent to the game: show us the molecule, explain what it does and what bonds the atoms use, and, perhaps, talk about the geometry and how it's built in reality. Instead, we're presented with a puzzle space containing some atoms, we move them around in such a way that they'll fit through the blocks, and when you get everything stuck together, you're presented with a blurb about the molecule. The atoms stick together based on their valence electrons and there's some work with single, double, and triple bonds. But, none of that is ever explained.

- The above is also a problem because unless you know enough chemistry to know what the end product will be (there are 40 molecules used in the game) when shown a list of atoms, you really don't know what you're trying to build.

So, as I said above, even ignoring my mistaken pre-purchase impression of what the game was, I'm not recommending it.

Not enough information present for my liking, it just feels too sparse and minimal. What is there, is nice, but I expected more educational content. I feel let down.

This game would make a lovely app, but would I pay 10 dollars for an App? Nope!

Over-rated.

It's a mixed bag of fun/boring and easy/hard. Overall I can't say I enjoyed the game. But It seems that I'm not into sokobans that much, so there's that. Maybe the game is good for those who prefer this puzzle sub-genre. If you're into chemistry though, check out SpaceChem, it's completely different puzzler and has ♥♥♥♥♥♥ UI, but better taps into the field.