Friday 18 January 2013

DS Games – The Jewelled Collection


There are a fair number of DS games around that involve matching rows of jewels on a board, until the whole area has been covered (simplified explanation). In some cases, jewel boards form a small part of a wider game, but in others the game consists of little else.

So far in this category I have played:

Jewel Quest Mysteries, Curse Of The Emerald Tear This is the first ‘jewel’ game that I ever played, one of many available in the ‘Jewel Quest’ series. I really enjoyed this game as it alternates between hidden object scenes and jewel boards, offering a bit of variety. It also has a separate bonus game, Mysteryville, a hidden object game with a few twists, further increasing playing time and options. The hidden object levels are really well done, having lots of detailed scenes that are also clear. By finding jewels and coins in these levels, you can ‘buy’ extra help features to use if you get a bit stuck. The jewel boards progress in difficulty throughout the game, increasing the challenge. Overall a very good game.

Jewel Quest Expeditions Having thoroughly enjoyed the first Jewel Quest game I’d tried, I was keen to give this one a go. As it was described as a ‘game adventure through Africa’, I presumed that it would include some appropriate game play in addition to jewel boards. However, apart from a series of rather unsatisfying story screens that I decided were best ‘skipped’, it comprised of just board after board of jewel puzzles. Admittedly, the boards become progressively harder, sometimes involving new twists to the game, but I would have preferred to have some mini games or hidden objects scenes to break the monotony. One of my biggest complaints is that although you can strive to accumulate what looks like an impressive score, there is no way of saving scores and comparing them, making it all seem a bit pointless. More variety definitely needed in this one.

Jewel Link Mysteries, Mountains of Madness The only game that I’ve tried so far from the Jewel Link series. This one again mixes hidden object games and jewel boards, with an extra ‘combination’ level in between. This level allows you to use some of the objects collected, be it in a basic way. It’s also possible to accumulate various bonus features during the course of the game to use to assist in the jewel board levels. I quite enjoyed this game, although I found the hidden object levels not as clear or as interesting as in other games I’ve played.

What games would you recommend? comments@shoppersjoy.co.uk

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