Just one year after their launch, Popcap.com released a puzzle-solving game which become one of the Internets most sought-after games! Initially, they called it "Diamond Mine". Yet Popcap joined forces with Microsoft Zone around the same time. Bill Gates had a similarly-titled game-"Diamond Miles". In order to avoid confusion, Popcap conceived a new name. Lo and behold! "Bejeweled" was born.
As the years went by, many websites and firms(both large and small) each begged to do a proposition to get just a slice of that "Bejeweled" pie(which is why there are so many clones out there)! Even Lotterywest has their own offline version(in Australia). The last time I checked, "Bejeweled" was the second or third most searched online game. Right behind that of the "World of Warcraft"! Yet Popcap wasn't threw yet. Just recently ABC has voted "Bejeweled as the #1 online game of the 21st century!
The year 2004 saw the release of "Bejeweled 2" and most recently(October 27th, 2008), a third installment to the series "Bejeweled Twist" just launched. The latter two can only be played in their online free mode on "Internet Explorer"(since Active X is required). But you can still play the original in any platform you wish.
Bejeweled
Match three or more of the same jewels to earn points and watch them disappear. The larger the pair, the higher the score. You can only clump them together adjacently. Which means they wont match up diagonally nor from someplace else across the board. Hopefully luck will be on your side. A cascading chain reaction is every Bejeweled gamers dream come true.
There are ways to play-Timed Mode and Simple Mode. If you don't like looking over your shoulder, then keep it simple stupid. However, the Timed Mode will give you a greater challenge. Once the green meter is out, time is up and the game is over. In Simple Mode if no other matches can be found, then and only then is the game over. Good luck and may you strike it rich with bonuses and get "Bejeweled"!
Bejeweled(The Original) Review
Despite the lack of music(only found on the downloaded version), let's just say I was thoroughly impressed by it's sound-effects, picture quality, animation, organization, and the overall concept! Just the idea of borrowing an idea from "Puzzle League" and bringing it to a whole new level is what being unique is all about folks! The geeks at Popcap deserve a thumbs-up for developing such an addictive masterpiece!
Ratings: 5 Stars!
Play the original "Bejeweled"!
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