Mac|Life has posted a new review of PopCap Games' recently released Bejeweled 3 gem matching sequel. The game features eight game modes, 65 achievement badges to collect, a variety of new powerups to discover, and improved graphics. Mac|Life gave the game a score of 4.5 out of 5.

From the review:

Classic mode is the same as before. You swap jewels on an 8x8 grid to line up three or more. They disappear. More fall down. Repeat until you run out of moves. No time limit or rushed feeling of panic. Matching four or five gems—including five in a T or L shape—earns you power-up gems. This mode is a favorite of newbies and nongamers, and it’s as great as ever, including the same, cheesy wormhole animation when you level up, and the same deep, reverberating voice that reminds us of the “Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!” announcer in radio spots for monster-truck rallies.

Lightning mode (seen above) adds a sense of urgency by introducing a countdown clock. As the seconds tick away, “time gems” appear on the board, and clearing them extends your time. It’s fun, but reminded us too much of Blitz mode in Bejeweled 2 for iPhone (or on Facebook). Its 60-second time limit is a pain to play with a trackpad, so bring a mouse.

Quest mode has 40 special puzzles, sprinkled with 11 minigames. If you solve them all, you “restore the Lost Relics of Bejeweled.” The idea of questing had us rolling our eyes, but the special puzzles are fun.

Speaking of eye rolls, Zen mode is basically the same as Classic, only it’s endless and it includes features to allegedly relax you, such as stress-relieving breath modulation, ambient sounds (seagulls, dude), “positive mantras,” and “binaural beats” that drone over your headphones and are supposed to put your mind in a trance-like (or maybe trance-lite) state for maximum jewel-matching. We...are skeptical. But again, it’s fun. And all those extras can be turned off.

Mac|Life: Bejeweled 3 Review

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