Bejeweled

Bejeweled

This is one of the first games I bought from Popcap and it is still one of my favourites. This is not the original (see Shariki) "match three" games but arguably the first popular game of that type. The game play is simple: match three or more jewels on an 8x8 grid by swapping (horizontally or vertically) adjacent jewels. This means the maximum number of jewels of a single color that can be lined up at any one time is five. Under the right circumstances ten jewels can be matched at once.

The original game features two modes: classic and timed. As I said, I prefer the classic mode where I can plan moves ahead rather than the faster pace of the timed version. There is also the hint button to provide impatient players with a prompt as to the next move.

Since the original game, Popcap have gone on to release three more versions: Bejeweled 2, Bejewled Twist (where a 2x2 group of jewels is twisted instead of the player swapping two jewels) and most recently Bejewled Blitz. I didn't like the Twist version of the game as much as the original. I prefer the mechanics of swapping to rotating. Blitz is one of ever-so-many FaceBook applications. This is where I encountered it recently, and bemoaned that I did not invent the game. I prefer the Zen (endless version) of the game to the one minute dash for high score in Blitz. And probably because I am a purist, I don't buy the boosts that are available in Blitz either.

Why is it so popular? I'm not quite sure. Certainly it has something to do with the fact that almost anyone can learn how to play the game. The graphics are simple but look very good. There is almost no start-up time so players can have a long session or short session quite easily. It also has to do with the randomness. One never knows how the initial grid is going to look or what new jewels will drop when the matched jewels are destroyed so no game ever plays the same way twice. The motivation to keep playing is the high-score list. One more factor that contributes to the popularity of the game is its portability. This game has been ported from the web based version to various different gaming consoles and touch-screen devices. There is even an online slot game with the Bejeweled theme!

If you haven't tried it already, give it a go. Popcap have helpfully provided Bejeweled 2 online for free.

Thank-you for reading.