Bejeweled 2: Deluxe

The Good
You know when I first started out playing Tetris, it got boring and repetitive after awhile. Now we're into the 21st century of video games and the technology has advanced farther with more diversion of gameplay available. So I happened upon Bejeweled. I have played Diamond Mine and I thought it was the best game in the world, but Bejeweled 2 Deluxe Edition, has more features than ever before.

There are now 4 new modes of play, from Classic which is the untimed version of play where you must clear as many gems as you can before you run out of moves. Action mode lets you play a timed game where you must clear as many levels and gems before the time runs out. You can score super-high in this mode. Next, is Puzzle mode, which allows you to clear gems in a puzzle-like fashion, whether moving one gem to clear out another. It's great for all you brain-addled gamers that need a good challenge. And, lastly there is Endless Mode, where there is an unlimited amount of moves and time and lets you play at your own leisure pretty much. There is a secret mode once you complete all of the Puzzle challenges!

The gameplay is simple and anyone can get started without any trouble at all, it's pretty straightforward, no learning curve, just connect 3 of the same gems to clear it, you can also build combo's of 4 of the same gems to get a Powercube which works as a stick of dynamite and clears out 3x3 square of gems. Connect 5 of the same and you get a Hypercube which allows you to clear one type of gem.

The package also includes very nice scenery graphics and a space themed music to add. Also keeps highscores and a record account of all users playing the game. It's a relaxing game and more addicting than ever.

The Bad
I thought some features could be omitted for a few of the gameplay modes. The Hint button really isn't necessary except in the Puzzle mode. I mean all you have to do is wait several seconds and the game will automatically hint to you the next piece available. It's only used I guess in dire situations like Action mode, but then it drains out the timer and your total score. That's the penalty of the Hint Button.

The music could be varied, the space theme got boring real fast, but the good thing is, you can always fire up the Winamp player without having the game slowdown.

There's no online community and no other puzzles to download once you're done with the first 80 puzzles and the secret mode, no HighScore website to post at.

And the one thing I didn't like is the price of the game. I know it's a mass marketing ploy to charge 20 bucks for it even though the game is worth at least 8 dollars. For the time downloading it and getting the serial number from the publishers.

The Bottom Line
Overall it's a good game for families and friends who just want to spend time doing something fun while they're downloading music off the web. It's great for that, and I have cleared over 120,000 gems and got a rank as a Supreme Bezelier. Anyways, have fun and I hope this review was helpful to you!