"Bejeweled" (PC)

First release of what became one of the most popular games in recent history. Appeals to both casual and diehard gamers, revamping the "Puyo Puyo"/"Tetris" style of play.

For those of you who glanced at our list of computer games reviewed thus far, I'm sure you were waiting for this. What better way to start this timeless, fun, and popular series than from its original release? You're looking at the very first edition/version of Bejeweled.

Nothing portrays casual gaming than this game. Simple: swap gems of the same color in groups of three or more, and keep doing so. Playing in "Normal" mode gets you advancing level after level. However, be wary of your gem swaps as there will be a case where you can't match any gems, and in that case, the game will be over. Playing in "Time Trial" mode, you match the gems as fast as you can in the allotted time. The time is indicated on the horizontal bar below the puzzle board. The more gems you match, the more time added to the meter. Keep matching before that meter reaches the end!

The goal of the game? Just getting a high score; Yeah, that's very much it. As of recent, this is my current highest scores on both "Normal" and "Time Trial" mode:

That's the best I could do.

The controls are easy as it requires your mouse cursor to navigate through the puzzle board. You can use the click method or the click-and-drag method, as I prefer the latter. The graphics are simple and vibrant as they cling to your eyes for its realistic beauty, while the animation is sleek. The music is as awesome as you can get. It really sounds like soundtracks from an action film, a Final Fantasy video game, something you'd hear at a busy Casino & Mall outlet, and, if your mind is thinking that way, a track from a moderately-budgeted adult film (sorry, I couldn't help but mention it). Nevertheless, the music is totally not your typical repetitive track, common in some computer games. Nope, this is something you can plug your headphones in and play this game with the volume on maximum (100%) without being too overwhelmed in concentrating.

In terms of compatibility, I was able to run this perfectly on a Windows 7 64-bit system; I have not tested it on Windows 8 nor have I tested it on Windows 10, so double check and make sure the game installed properly. Despite being only compatible on PC, most older software/games have been able to run neatly on the newer systems so you shouldn't run into too much problems (much older games like DOS games are another story, though). If you're on a Mac system, I have also tried, tested and successfully can confirm that it can run via VirtualBox, BootCamp or any method requiring the use of Windows on a Mac; I personally used rEFIt.

This game is as casual as you can get, and can be played by anyone of any age. If you're one of the few who have never played this game, you probably aren't allowed to own a computer or any computational device (i.e. smartphones) available in today's market. No, that actually wasn't a joke.

Kris Caballero

Founder of KCU Network and KCU Plus, Kris has been writing since he started blogging in late 2005. Officially back to doing computer programming, Kris enjoys reading books on Mathematics, Quantum Computing, Philosophy, plus playing old video/MS-DOS games, digital video archiving, listening to sports, public radio and classical music.

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