Game review: Bejeweled 2 and 3

BEJEWELED by POPCAP GAMES was originally created in 2000 and in those days it was known as DIAMOND MINE.

With a new name it went onto greater things and it was, of course, inevitable that BEJEWELED 2 would follow, and it did in 2004.

In 2010 BEJEWELED 3 came out. This is the fifth in the series and the third official title and having sold over 10 million copies it is a classic.

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Usually I won`t review older games, but POCAP sent me a copy of both 2 and 3, and to be honest I really enjoyed playing them.

If you’re a fan of ZUMA then you will already know of POPCAP GAMES.

BEJEWELED is known as a Tile matching puzzle game, which is basically matching three of a kind by swapping one gem with an adjacent one, to create a line of three or more of the same colour.

On doing so that line disappears and a new group of gems are generated and drop down.

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With great sound effects and bright colourful graphics, BEJEWELED is really addictive, and in your face. I decided because both games are so similar that It would be easier to include both in this review.

Both games are basically the same, in BEJEWELED 2 there are 4 different modes.

CLASSIC: matching three of a kind, if you match four, then you get a hyper cube which explodes when you match it up, destroying anything close to it.

ACTION: Same as classic really except the score bar is half empty and starts to retract as you play. If you score it grows, if you mess up it retracts until you’re out of time.

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PUZZLE: This is the best mode in my opinion. You have to clear up the gems using certain combinations within a variety of scenarios.

ENDLESS: Speaks for itself really, an endless game of BEJEWELED, ideal for beginners.

To top it all there are a number of secret modes to be unlocked by completing or reaching certain points within each mode.

The great thing about this series of games is it is very user friendly, if you are stuck you don`t have to throw your controller at the TV and stop playing, with a click on the HINT button it tells you what your next move should be, just. Watch out because the HINT button doesn`t work for later levels, a nice little wind up there by POPCAP, just in case you were getting to reliant on that HINT button.

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BEJEWELED 3 has another four gameplay modes in addition to the four traditional ones, the four standard modes are:

CLASSIC: This is the same as the previous games.

ZEN: Similar to ENDLESS mode (from BEJEWELED 2) which is tailored for relaxation with nice relaxing music. Apparently there are a few fancy tricks used in the sound track to help you relax, so don`t play this in the bath with your iPad, if you don`t want to wake up with it floating in the bubbles.

LIGHTNING: just a time trial mode, you have to gain as many points as possible within 60 seconds.

QUEST: with up to forty puzzles and eleven mini games, this mode is the biggest out of all of them, with a variety of scenarios and games.

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Now if you manage to unlock certain parts of the game by gaining achievements you will get the SECRET MODES.

These are BUTTERFLIES, DIAMOND MINE, ICE STORM and POKER

Summary

BEJEWELED is a long standing classic that has now moved onto the ios platform, and covers most of the platforms. It is a great game for relaxing, with bright colourful graphics, and nice gameplay, ideal for passing away a few hours on a long train journey, or a quiet evening at home.

The good thing about these games is they appeal to all ages, especially with the ease of play, and once you start you cannot stop.

I give BEJEWELED 2 and 3, 9 out of 10 as they are real classic games, that can be enjoyed by everyone at a nice price, both are sold separately, and are available on digital download or on DVD-ROM.

Bejeweled 2 and 3

Developer: PopCap Games

Publisher: PopCap Games

Xbox 360®

Playstation 3®

PC

Ios

Genre: Tile puzzle

Release Date(s) 22nd November 2005,7th December 2010

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