Puzzle Bobble

"Puzzle Bobble" Title screen (1994), Arcade

Puzzle Bobble (パズルボブル) was an arcade game by Taito released in 1994, using the main characters from Bubble Bobble that was released 8 years earlier.
When it was released in the U.S. the title was changed to Bust-A-Move.
The U.S. version also added anti-drugs and anti-littering messages to the loading sequence.

"Bust-A-Move" (American version of "Puzzle Bobble") Title screen (1994), Arcade

The main characters are once again the bubble dragons Bub and Bob, or Bubblun and Bobblun in the Japanese version.

Anti-drugs message in "Bust-A-Move" (1994), Arcade

From what I understand the game is supposed to take place sometime after Bubble Bobble (1986), which I find strange, since that game ended with the curse making the brothers dragon broken.
Well I guess they got cursed again, or maybe they preferred being dragons? (who wouldn't?)

The game is a puzzle game where you shoot colored bubbles on other colored bubbles, trying to match three or more of the same color to pop them. When there are no more bubbles left the stage is cleared. You can bounce the bubbles you shoot off the walls, so you have to consider the angle at which you shoot.

"Puzzle Bobble" (1994), Arcade

There is a time element as well, since if you wait too long the ceiling starts to descend, and if the bubbles comes so close that they touch your "bubble shooting machine" it's game over.

If you look closely, enclosed in the bubbles are the enemies from "Bubble Bobble" (1986).

There is also a two player vs mode, where you play split-screen on identical stages, and whenever you manage to remove a group of four bubbles or more, some of those bubbles are transferred to the opponents arena.

"Puzzle Bubble 3" (1996), Arcade. Two-player game

The game is quite entertaining and addictive, I for one spent a lot more hours on this game than I ever did on the more well known Tetris.
Or perhaps I should say these games, since it spawned at least 23 sequels and spin-off, ported to a host of platforms, not to say anything about all the rip-offs. A clear testament to its popularity.

If you're looking to get a copy it's really easy because of it's availability, and really cheap, especially if you settle for a clone of the game that are often free.

I bought a used copy of "Bust-A-Move 2" PC for about €1, but it turned out to be a waste of money since it was only playable on Windows 98.
If you want to own an original Neo Geo arcade cabinet with "Bust-A-Move" be ready to pay about €700.
For brand new copies, you could get "Puzzle Bobble Universe" (2011), N3DS for about €20, or "Bust-A-Move 2: Arcade Edition" (1996), PlayStation for about €60.
For used copies you are likely looking at about €20 for most consoles, but the Wii version that supports up to 8 players, you would probably have to pay full retail about €60-80.