Bejeweled – PC – Review

You have fifteen minutes
before your break ends, school lets out, or waiting to go out, but there isn’t
enough time to play a quick game in a console or PC. You are having a gaming
itch, but is there anything that can satisfy your hunger for a quick game? If
you goto popcap.com there is, all you have
to do is find and play the awesomely addicting game known as Bejeweled, and you
will be in gaming bliss in a few moments.

What makes bejeweled fun is its addictive nature. The whole premise is for you
to match three or more of the same color/jewel in a row (up or down), as soon as
you match a set the jewels will disappear and new ones will appear up top.
To move the
gems around, all you have to do is click on a gem and than click on another one
(above, below, left, or right) of it and they will switch places.You can
only switch the gems place to finish a matching set. While this might seem a
little complicated it is far from it.

There are two different modes to play in: Timed and Normal. Normal is where
players try to match as many as they can till there is nothing more to match up.
When there is not more jewels to match up, the game will end. My favorite mode
is Time mode. There is a timer at the bottom of the screen. You have to
continually match up jewels to prevent the timer from going off. The object is
to rapidly get as many jewels to match up, either in matches or combos, the
timer will full up and you will get a bonus. Once the bonus ends the timer will
split in half and will drain a little faster. You have to keep your mind alert
to make sure that you get everything to match up or else you will lose.

The colors used in this game are very simplistic and gets the job done. If you
are just playing online it takes less than thirty seconds to load (on a Cable
Modem) and you’re off in gaming bliss. The deluxe version has a more 3D feel to
it, but it still plays the same.

The music in this game has a bit of “technoish” beat to it. While it isn’t
annoying it is really best not to use any sound if you plan on playing this game
at work or school. Besides the sound is really not an integral part of this
game.

You can sum up this game as a fast paced puzzle game. It does not require a lot
of brain cells to play, but it does require a little bit of strategy, such as
remaining one step ahead of the game. At times you might find it best to make
sure all of the jewels at the top get matched first since moving the ones at the
bottom can move the ones up top around. Also to try and set up combos so you can
get higher points in the game.

Gameplay: 9.9
The game is a blast to play,
because of its highly addictive nature. You start off slow and then as you see
the points build up and the timer go faster you cant help but to continue at it.
The hardest part is putting this game away after your break is over!

Graphics: 9.2
For a flash/java based puzzle game it looks really nice.

Sound: 8.5
Techno music is not good for work or school environments, but it gets the job
done to meet with the psychedelic look of the game.

Difficulty: Medium
The game slowly ramps up in difficulty. It is very easy in the beginning, but
the more you play the harder it will become.

Concept: 9.3
Tetris meets Connect Four, expect way better then you would expect!

Overall: 9.6
Bejeweled is a really great game for someone who needs a quick break
from the repetitiveness/boredom of work or school. If you have a few minutes to
spare I highly suggest you try this “gem” of a game.