Bejeweled 2

By:Astraware

 

 

For many years one of the most popular games for the PDA (and the PC as well) has been Bejeweled.  Its jewel-swapping theme is probably one of the most recognized type of games and for a very good reason – the game is equally addictive for both the novice as well as the expert and you never seem to tire from playing it.

So…. How do you improve on perfection?  Astraware has once again teamed up with Popcap Games and, between them, they have found a way.  With the release of Bejeweled 2 they have not only improved the graphics and sound but have also taken the best part of Bejeweled and magnified it three fold by adding three additional modes.  Not only do you continue to have the opportunity to play in the beloved Classic mode but you can also play Action Mode, Puzzle Mode, and Endless Mode.

The Action Mode is similar to the Classic mode with the addition of some new game pieces – namely Power Gems and Hyper Cubes.  A Power Gem is created when you make a match of 4 gems of the same color. When this takes place, one of the gems remains and sparkles at you.  When it is swapped with another gem to make another match, it will explode and take the surrounding gems with it. Hyper gems are even better.  When you create a match of 5 or more gems the result will be a glowing Hyper Gem that will issue lightning bolts and destroy every gem of the same color as the one you swap it with.

 

 

The Puzzle Mode is similar to the Action Mode except for the fact that the program has a preset “puzzle” of gems that, when played correctly, will completely clear the game board.  There are numerous levels of progressing difficulty and each one warps you into a new background for the game.  Each level includes a brief tutorial showing how to create and then interact with the new game pieces (such as the Power Gem and the Hyper gem that I mentioned as well as rocks and such).

An interesting addition to the game is the ability to navigate to different levels / puzzles using their Galaxy Map.  When you complete four puzzles from one “solar system” you warp into another solar system (complete with new backgrounds and new challenges).  By accessing the Galaxy Map you can not only go back to a previously visited solar system but, by tapping the specific planet around the rim, can view a preview of the puzzle and thus choose a particular puzzle to revisit.  Once you complete five puzzles in each galaxy then you can access the bonus world.

 

I still haven’t figured out just how Astraware and Popcap managed to pull this rabbit out of a hat but, if you decide to play the Endless Mode you might as well put on a bunny suit and grab a drum (like the Energizer Bunny…) because the game will keep going and going and going until you decide to give up.  Actually, it is similar to the Classic Mode that you are accustomed to in that the gems that are removed after making a match are replaced with more gems from the top but this mode also throws in the ability to create Power Gems and Hyper Gems. When you have played one game screen for a while it will refresh with a replace it with a fresh game screen and continue to keep track of your score until your eyes cross and your fingers get writer’s cramps from holding your stylus – or so it seems, anyway. 

One of the many game options you can choose is to enable the hints.  You can not only tap on the Hint button (or the question mark, depending on which game mode you are in) and you can be shown a hint at any time in the game (with a deduction in your score in exchange for the hint) but, if you enable the hint, the game will watch for a period of inactivity, surmise that you are stumped in finding your next move, and give you a subtle hint by causing a gem to sparkle.  Swapping that gem with an adjoining one will result in a match.

 

As with many of Astraware’s newer games, this release not only gives you the ability to keep track of high scores, but will also let you export them to Astraware’s web site for comparison with other players.  In addition, you can display a Statistics screen that will rank you and display all sorts of information about your game play. (Don’t let your boss see this…. LOL)

 

As you can see, you can improve on perfection and this is certainly the case with this game.  If you hurry you may be able to purchase the game at $5 off the normal price of $19.95 by visiting their preview page.  If not, you can purchase it at its regular price at www.astraware.com.  While there is a Windows and PPC version also available, you will need a high definition screen and OS 5.0 or higher to play this on your Palm PDA.