Bejeweled 3

There are plenty of similarities between the latest and previous incarnations, but PopCap have achieved their brief of introducing innovative ideas while maintaining the classic Bejeweled gameplay we know and love.

If you've played any previous version of Bejeweled, then Bejeweled 3 consists of exactly the mental image you're formulating right now. PopCap know they can't fix something that isn't broken.

Another classic by PopCap. It's a shame for the price, a little too high this time around.

A fine balance of polished gaming and addictive new modes. The world's most compulsive puzzle game just got even better. [Feb 2011, p.77]

Bejeweled is as addictive as ever, and the new Quest game mode keeps the experience fresh and varied. Popcap have reinvented their classic and made it into their most enticing package yet.

Since it started, Popcap Games has been pumping out quality titles, and Bejeweled 3 is no exception.

With a lot of options and modes, Bejeweled 3 It's the best Bejeweled game ever released and one of the best puzzle game out this year. Of course It follows an established formula but everything It's just so fun and polished that any fan of the series will play It for hours.

PopCap has done what modern science can't, made an insanely cheap time machine, capable of transporting you hours into the future with every match of a gem.

The only real disappointment in Bejeweled 3 is that the game takes inspiration from Bejeweled Blitz-PopCap's wildly distracting, socially charged Facebook game-but doesn't include all its online bells and whistles.

How much you get out of Bejeweled 3 is ultimately going to depend on how much swapping colored gems on a grid still appeals to you. If you played Bejeweled, Bejeweled 2, Bejeweled Blitz, and the Puzzle Quest series, we wouldn't blame you if you decided to sit this one out, despite Bejeweled 3 being easily the most robust entry in the series to date.

Bejeweled 3 rises the bar of the "match 3" genre. Another Popcap masterpiece that you can't ignore: taste your first game and you'll be lost forever.

The problem is, the overall presentation feels immediately obsolete. The "flashy new HD graphics" are only new if you haven't already played Blitz, and the lack of Facebook connectivity feels like a step backward.

While Pop cap haven't changed up too many of the fundamentals that make Bejeweled what it is, they have instead added some modes that feel either superior or wholly unique when compared to other puzzle games on the market.

If you happen to be the one person in the world who has never played Bejeweled, this is a great place to start. If you've already had your fill of the series, there's nothing here that will bring you into the fold.

But the bottom-line reveals that Bejeweled 3 does nothing unexpected. It is the same game that you've played before, with a fresh coat of paint and a couple of new modes.

Housewives, students, grandparents everywhere, be warned: Bejeweled 3 is coming to snatch away your afternoons.

It's an irresistible blend of top-notch production values, simple gameplay, and endless small innovations to keep that gameplay fresh.

The worst thing you could do is write this game off as a Bejeweled 2 rehash. Yes, they've incorporated all the features that have made Bejeweled our go-to puzzler this past decade, but it's the new modes, mini-games and strategy that will keep you coming back. It's like PopCap went out of their way to top themselves and make sure that we never fully pay attention to anything ever again.

This compulsively fun sequel is a delight, though it's a familiar one.

It has taken some time to change the number, but it deserves the three, thanks to its eight game modes, which take the best of the last entries, polishing the experience and offering more.

Sure, it's pretty, but it's also one of the purest, most addicting – and, yes, challenging – games around.

Bejeweled 3 doesn't radically alter the match-3 landscape, but it does provide a very healthy set of play options that are sure to please almost any puzzle game player out there. If you're looking for a good time-waster, Bejeweled 3 will fit the bill nicely.

Bejeweled 3 takes a few risks, and the result is essentially Bejeweled 2 plus a handful of both worthwhile and throwaway modes. If that's enough to warrant a purchase, however, is up to you.

Bejeweled 3 is one-more-go gaming at its most polished.

If you are seriously looking for a change of pace, there may be enough here to satiate your desire. But if the classic "match 3" gameplay has served you well over the last few years, some spiffy visuals may not be enough warrant yet another version of this timeless classic.