Bejeweled

This article is about the first game in the series. For an overview of the whole series, see Bejeweled (series).

Bejeweled
Steam header
Developer(s)	PopCap Games
Publisher(s)	PopCap Games
Designer(s)	Jason Kapalka[1]
Series	Bejeweled
Engine	PopCap Games Framework
Version	1.87 (2007)
Platform(s)	PC (Windows, Mac OS X), Browser (Flash) PDA (Palm OS, Windows Mobile, Smartphone), Mobile iOS, Windows Phone, Java ME, Xbox, Facebook
Release date(s)	May 30, 2001[2]
Genre(s)	Puzzle
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everyone (E)
System requirements OS: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista. Memory: 128 MB RAM. DirectX: 7.0. Processor: Pentium II, 350MHz or faster.

Bejeweled is a puzzle game by PopCap Games, first developed for browsers in 2001. Three follow-ups to this game have been released. More than 75 million copies of Bejeweled have been sold, and the game has been downloaded more than 500 million times.^[3]

History

See also: Bejeweled (series)

The game was initially created by PopCap Games as a web-based Flash game called Diamond Mine, inspired by the gameplay of Shariki. It was reportedly successful for PopCap—a company formed in 2000. PopCap created partnerships with established Internet gaming sites such as Microsoft Zone to host Bejeweled as well. The name Bejeweled was suggested by Microsoft, who thought that the original name Diamond Mine was too similar to that of an existing game, Diamond Mines.

The game has also been ported to other platforms, including Microsoft Windows, where it was called Bejeweled Deluxe. Astraware produced versions for PDAs on the Palm OS, Windows Mobile, Smartphone and Palm platforms. They also released Bejeweled Deluxe on the Xbox as a downloadable Xbox Live Arcade game. On September 12, 2006, it was released as one of the first games downloadable from the iTunes Store for the Apple iPod.^{[citation needed]}

Gameplay

Normal gameplay mode

The objective of this game is to swap one gem with an adjacent gem to form a horizontal or vertical chain of three or more gems. Bonus points are given when more than three identical gems are formed or forms two lines of identical gems in one swap. Gems disappear when chains are formed and gems fall from the top to fill in gaps. Sometimes chain reactions, called cascades, are triggered, where chains are formed by the falling gems. Cascades are awarded with bonus points. There are two variations of the game to choose from.

Although normally the player gets only 3 in a row for gems, sometimes they can get 4 or 5 in a row. And in rare conditions, they can get 6, 7 and even 8 in a row. However, some versions of the engine do not register it. The player gets more points and sometimes special powerups from more than 3 gems in a row.^[4]

Normal

• Level up when the bar reaches the end.
• Game over when no move can be performed.

Timed

• The level up bar starts in the middle, level up when the bar reaches the end.
• Over time, the bar decreases. The bar decreases faster as the stage level increases (and in some versions, the longer the level lasts).
• The game is over when the bar reaches the beginning (if a situation arises where no valid move can be made, the board is cleared and randomly re-filled).

References

1. ^ Bejeweled Readme: Credits
2. ^ Bejeweled Readme
3. ^ Mark Ward (2008-03-18). "Casual games make a serious impact". BBC News (BBC). http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7301374.stm. Retrieved 2008-03-20. 
4. ^ BeJeweled 6, 7, and 8 in a Row from eDepot.com

External links

• Official Bejeweled download and original Flash version