I was hesitant about Bejewled's $20 price tag – after all, this isn't The Sims, nor is it a feature film. I generally prefer games that progress interestingly toward my inevitable victory, which is why I still enjoy Spaceward Ho! after twenty years, but there's a lot to be said for getting more of a rush from a computer game. This mode benefits the most from being able to click-and-drag to swap positions, which is faster than the more contemplative click-and-click technique. Playing the timed modes provide more of a challenge and acutely tests reaction speed more than longer-term strategy. There are times when I just want to hear the stones clicking together, but for that this new mode is a disappointment. In fact, the whole "next level" thing defeats the uninterrupted play idea. But aside from having nothing at all to do with Zen, or any other known form of Buddism, the game is still interrupted by some decidedly non-placid animations each time the levels change. There's also the (new) "Zen" mode that will always have at least one move available, and so offers unending play. This creates arrangements of increasing difficulty, and ends when there are no more moves possible. I prefer the untimed games, and typically play the "Classic" mode.
The basic gameplay is quite simple, but the execution benefits from sophistication and forethought.īejeweled can be played in both timed and untimed games, as well as in subgames with special rules and gimmicks. Matching three makes them disappear and cascades new pieces into their place, while matching more creates special game pieces that have more dramatic effects. The basic idea is that game pieces can be moved one step horizontally or vertically if that creates a match of three or more pieces of the same shape and colour. There are many different versions of the same basic game to be found now, but Bejewelled is the best one that I've played.
According to Wikipedia, its lineage can be traced even farther back to the Russian "match three" game Shariki, which was released for DOS in 1994. I was playing Jeweltoy, the non-networked version, almost a decade ago. My new game of choice is Bejeweled 3, and while it's a current release the underlying game is quite old. The reason why my iMac will remain frozen is the same reason why I needed a new game to play on my Air – Delta Tao's Spaceward Ho!, the stalwart of galactic conquest that single-handedly delayed System 7's release, never made the jump to the Intel architecture and can't run without Rosetta.īut never let it be said that I'm up-to-date. While that OS upgrade's scheduled for a "cold, dead hands" date for my iMac, I have moved my Macbook Air to the new system.
The Long Version: One of the problems with Mac OSX 10.7 is that it broke the older non-native software that had previously been supported by Apple's Rosetta translator. Activate aliens to transform surrounding caps, fire ray guns to zap those pesky black caps, or aim your rocket to eliminate entire rows or columns of caps.Yeah, but: Don't start if there's somewhere you need to be. Seven bonuses help you make more matches and eliminate obstacles as they set off chain reactions. Test your time and your memory skills in quick bonus round challenges, and choose from four difficulty levels. Three fun game modes Classic, Arcade, and Survival quench your thirst for fun. Swap caps vertically, horizontally, or diagonally to score big points and find cool bonuses in this addictive puzzle game.
Unbottle the fun in Mad Caps, a matching game gone mad!įlip bottle caps for fun to make matches of three or more to fill the fizzy meter.