Reviews

There's no doubting that Bejeweled is a simple, yet highly addictive puzzle game, the type of game that you can wind up playing for ages, provided the luck of the draw goes your way. It definitely fits onto a mobile phone well too. However, if like myself, you have experienced the delights, modes and features of Bejeweled 2, either on a PC or Xbox 360, can you go back to the reduced scope of the original?

For those who have never played any form of Bejeweled before, I suppose I should first ask if the rock that you're living under is comfortable. However, I shall forego such sarcasm for now, in favour of an explanation of how the game works.

As you begin, you'll be presented with a grid filled with multi-coloured gems. Red, blue, silver, orange, purple, yellow and green. The aim is to swap the gems around so that at least three of the same colour match up, either horizontally or vertically. These are known in the game as Gem Sets. A gem can only be swapped with a gem directly above, below or beside it, and only if that swap causes the creation of a Gem Set.

When a Gem Set has been created, the gems disappear from the game board, and all other gems above them fall downwards, with more added on top. A progress bar at the bottom of the screen will fill based upon the size of the Gem Set. When the bar has been completed filled, the level will be complete, and the game board will be refreshed ready for the next level.

Naturally, as you progress through the levels, the bar will take longer to fill. The game ends when you wind up in a position where no more legal moves can be made. So, if you cannot see a legal move, but the game hasn't ended, there is obviously still one there. Thankfully, if you wait long enough, the game will give you a decent hint as to where the move can be made from.

Alongside this main game, there is also a time trial mode, where the bar at the bottom slowly decreases, but can be refilled by making Gem Sets. This game ends when the bar completely empties out.

In both modes, you also earn points that are recorded on high score tables (one for each mode). You can even leave either game mode at any point, and then pick up from where you left off the next time that you run the game (or just start over, if you'd prefer).

If you have knowledge of the sequel, then you'll soon realise what was missing from this original version, like the special power-ups that you would earn by creating Gem Sets from 4 or 5 gems, plus loads of extra modes, like the Endless Mode (where you could never run out of moves). However, the general game-play is still very much present, and that surely should be all that matters.

Okay, you could argue that you'd rather wait for B2 to come to mobile phones, but until that day comes or if, as mentioned, you've never experienced any form of Bejeweled, then you could do a whole lot worse than check this one out. Chances are, you'll be hooked within a few moves!