Price:	19.95$		Reviewed by:	Maya Rozenshein
Supplied:	Astraware		Review date:	6/1/2005
Pros:	brilliant gameplay; highly addictive; great music & graphics		Cons:	some compatibility problems with 3rd party applications.

I don't know whether everybody shares my excitement, but for me the anticipated release of Zuma for the Palm OS, was a real big issue for the past few months. Having been an addict of this game ever since I first played it on the PC, the thought of being able to carry around this particular game with me and play it whenever and wherever I want, was a real big thrill. And happily I was not in the least disappointed as the game was finally released (or a day before that, actually, as we reports do enjoy some privileges… ;-)

Astraware's port of PopCap's PC and online hit is truly a work of art. Not only does it retain all the features of the original, including the sophisticated level design and brilliant music and sound effects, it also manages to preserve that special magic which made Zuma so addictive in the first place, in spite of the much smaller screen and much slower CPU of the Palm. Skeptic as I was about the results of the inevitable comparison with the original, I have to admit that it have passed it with flying colours.

For those of you not acquainted with the game, Zuma is part of that ever-growing genre of "snatch&match" games in which you have to quickly remove pieces from the screen by creating sequences of three or more of the same colour. In Zuma this means shooting balls from the mouth of a rotating frog at a fast moving winding trail of balls, making your best to destroy them all before they reach that skull shaped star towards which they rapidly advance. The colour of the ball in the frog's mouth is random, which makes Zuma mostly a game of skill, though you always see the one coming after that, which helps a bit with the planning.

s To complete a level you have to first score enough points to stop new balls from coming in. This can be achieved faster by making "combos" (a chain reaction that removes more than one sequence of colours using a single ball), managing a complicated shots (shooting at a sequence of balls through a gap or gaps in the chain) and shooting the bonus coin, which appears randomly on screen. At higher levels, mastering those techniques becomes essential for beating the game.

To make things even more complicated, the levels are of increasing difficulty, not only due to the increasing speed of the moving trail of balls, but also due to the variety of colours, their initial arrangement (how mixed the colours are) and the level design. Curves, tunnels, blind spots and other such elements, all make the accurate shooting and the ability to create the sequences fast enough a real frantic mission.

In addition, there are also some special balls with some interesting special effects, such as the "pause" ball, which upon being destroyed stops the movement of the trail for a second or two, a "bomb" ball, which destroys some balls in its vicinity, and a "laser" ball which bestows you with the (temporary) power to shoot at your target more accurately. But of course, this also has a sinister twist to it - the special balls appear only for a short time, and return to being regular again if not used quickly (i.e. if you are not able to remove them by creating a colour sequence).

Set in what seems like an ancient Inca temple, the whole game has a mystical "Indiana Jones like" touch and feel to it. The background story is of a quest to unveil the secrets of a lost temple, the levels are designed like ancient puzzles and the accompanying panpipe music and chanted sound effects give a real flavour of a South American adventure.

All in all Zuma is a game you have to actually play to appreciate the ingenuity of its design. Suffice is to say, this became very quickly one of the greatest hits of online and PC gaming upon its original release. I dare say I do expect a similar fate to Astraware's Palm (and PPC) version.

There is not really much to say on the downside. Truly enough the small screen of the Palm cannot compete with a 17" PC monitor (or 20" for you lucky ones), but this becomes irrelevant as you get yourself immersed in the addictive gameplay (not to forget the benefit of being able to play it on the road). There also seems to be some compatibility problems with few third party applications which trap user gestures in other applications (two examples I am aware of are Zlauncher's "quicklaunch anywhere" feature, and TextPlus). This does not mean the game becomes unplayable or anything, but you might experience an occasional delay in the game's responses. I have solved it by disabling those applications while playing, but hopefully Astraware would be able to address those issues in future releases.

The bottom line is that Zuma is undoubtedly a fantastic game, and one of the best I have ever seen on the Palm. I know this might sound a little bold having in mind I am writing this review at the first week of January but Zuma is my personal bet for "the game of the year 2005" title. Take a try. You well never regret it…