We previously covered a story about creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi claiming that his game is actually for everybody. It apparently was designed, with the help of a great music library, to appeal to both men and women of all ages. Developer Buena Vista Games came forward today saying that while Lumines IImay indeed posses a mass appeal, it still suits and caters better to women.

Accordingly, the company commisioned U.K. psychologist Susan Quilliam to study the phenomenon. In simple terms, the conclusion reached by the study is that, "women may be physically and emotionally programmed to be better than men at strategic games." Also, the report stated that women have ability to analyse, categorise and link large amounts of small detail. In case you haven't noticed, those exact characteristics are employed by Lumines II and even classic Tetris.

What do you think, guys and err, girls? If you ask us, we don't have a degree in Psychology so we can't tell one thing from the other. But we are all gamers here anyway, so whatever floats your boat is fine with us. We're having a funny feeling though that the men-folks will somehow take offense. Oh well, let's just bring out those PSPs and show them who's boss.

By the way, in case you're interested, major key points of Quilliam's study include:

• Multi tasking, a key component of Lumines II, is easier for women as the two halves of the female brain are physically better connected than the male brain.
• Unlike men, women aren’t particularly motivated by games that pit them against other players. Women prefer to achieve by rising through the levels of a game, not by killing off rivals.
• Lumines II looks good! The screen is enhanced with ‘gender-balanced’ colour ranges. Until now, video game palettes have been largely targeted at the male market.
• Women tend to lead integrated lifestyles, whereas men often compartmentalise their activities, working and playing within discreet block of time. Women often find themselves flipping in and out of different activities and switch mental approaches more frequently. Lumines II appeals to this side of women as it can be picked up and played easily, and does not require hours of setting the scene within a game.