Anyone that's owned a cell phone or a computer in the last 2 years knows what to expect with this one.
Just in case you've never browsed the games on your cell phone or iPod, or hopped on the internet within the past couple of years, Bejeweled is a colorful puzzle game that fills up the screen with various gems, each with a unique shape and color. The player must swap these gems at 90 degree angles, one at a time, in order to line up 3 or more of the same gem to score. This causes the gems above the aligned gems to collapse further down the screen, giving the player a chance to earn bonus points in the case of more gems aligning during the fall. Add a timed mode to keep players on their toes and a simple, relaxing mode that does the same thing (minus the clock), and you've got Bejeweled.
The gameplay on the PC version is all controlled entirely by the mouse. Players can either click the two gems they wish to attempt swapping seperately, or drag the mouse from one to the other. This results in a swap attempt which will either succeed or fail, and when the gems are finished, the player repeats the process. There's not much to it, but the colors, music, and simply addictive gameplay keep you going...for a little while, at least.
Graphically, the game doesn't have much to offer, but it does a good job with what little content there is. The gems are all extremely colorful and look great, complete with a few animations depending on what happens during a move. A few special effects for clearing levels and achieving bonuses are included, though nothing is really worth mentioning. The interface of the program is simple, but it works. After all, simple is the entire premise of the game.
Sound is simple enough, as well, with a couple of soft trance tunes to keep the player happy while they're gem hunting. The gems make appropriate "clink" sounds when being swapped, with explosions and a few other small effects occupying the various events. And, to top it all off, there's an announcer to let you know when to start a level.
Overall, Bejeweled is, and always has been, a highly addictive yet simple puzzle game. So much so that it's appeared on nearly every multimedia device that one is expected to use by now. Unfortunately, the game feels dated and over hyped anymore, even when players bring the slightly better sequel into the equation. Recommendation - try out Bejeweled, but don't bother paying anything for it.