Bejeweled - Game Review

Appearing in 2001 Bejeweled seems to remain one of the most popular and addicting games ever made. Bejeweled was inspired by the game called Shariki and originally was called Diamond Mine.

The aim of Bejeweled is to match three or more jewels of the same color in a row vertically or horizontally. Matched jewels disappear and new ones appear from the top. To swap gems just click on a gem, then click another one on the left, right, top or bottom. The gems will switch places.

Bejeweled offers two modes: Timed and Normal. In normal mode you need to match the gems till there is possibility to do it. If you got stuck and make no moves for some time the game will offer you a hint – it will sparkle a jewel to match. Once there are no more moves, the game is over. You are awarded scores for each match. Extra points are awarded for combos. If you manage to match more than three gems, for example four or five, you will get more points. Extra points are also scored for trigging so called cascades – chain reactions – where falling gems forms the groups of three or more and disappear. A bar at the bottom of the screen fills in while you match gems. Once it is filled you are awarded a bonus: random jewels disappear from the screen and you are scored additional points for each disappearing gem.

In Timed mode, as the name sugests, you race against the clock. The bar at the bottom of the screen at this mode it plays the role of a timer. It starts in the middle. You need to continually match jewels to prevent the timer from going off. If you quickly match jewels or make combos, the timer fills in and you will get bonus. If you make no moves, the timer goes off. Once the timer is empty, the game is over. If you have no more moves to make, the board is cleared and randomly refilled.

The graphics of the game are fairly simple, but pleasant to look at thanks to the nice bright colors, beautiful, though simple effects and clean design.

Bejeweled is an action puzzle game that doesn’t require much brain effort to play, but some strategy to plan your moves a step ahead. If you has some fifteen minutes to kill and would like a quick game to play, Bejeweled may be one of the best choices for you.

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