Steve Sharp
07-19-2004, 05:30 PM
<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/S_sharp-jul2-gems-front.gif" /> <br /><br /><b>Product Category:</b> Game<br /><b>Manufacturer:</b> <a href="http://www.pdamill.com"><span style="color:blue">PDAmill</span></a><br /><b>Where to Buy:</b> <a href="http://www.handango.com/brainstore/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&productId=85171"><span style="color:blue">Handango</span></a> <br /><b>Price:</b> $9.95 USD<br /><b>System Requirements:</b> Any Pocket PC with an ARM processor. Gamebox Gems 2.0 is a collection of eight puzzle/strategy games and requires 3 Megabytes of storage space to install and 4 Megabytes of RAM to run, and can be installed either to main or expansion memory.<br /><br /><b>Pros:</b><li>Challenging and addictive games;<br /><li>Music, artwork, and game play are slick and professional;<br /><li>At about $1.25 per game, Gamebox Gems offers good value.<b>Cons:</b><li>Some of the games are quite similar to other popular titles;<br /><li>The games are somewhat similar to each other;<br /><li>Player cannot choose the game’s starting level.<b>Summary:</b><br />PDAmill has teamed up with Jaybot7 to produce another award-winning game pack for the Pocket PC. The puzzles included in this collection are challenging and thought provoking, if not a bit frustrating, at times. All eight of these games are simple in design and objective, but mastering them is not merely child’s play.<br /><br />Read on for the full review!<!><br /> <PAGEBREAK> <br /><span><b>Overview</b></span><br />Gamebox Gems is an assortment of strategy puzzles that increase in difficulty as the player progresses through the levels. Starting one executable file opens a slick interface that provides access to all eight games, and navigating to the various games is simple. The screen splash art for each game is crisp and professional, and each game has an introduction that tells a story and explains the object of each game. The designers have given the player independent control over game sounds and music, screen brightness control, remappable controls for left-handed players, and the ability to upload high scores to the Internet. Many of the games in this collection are divided into separate levels that interrupt the game play when a new level starts, and this interruption can be annoying. All games start at level one. It would be nice if the player could choose the starting level and avoid the monotony of the beginning at the easy, opening levels. The games are enjoyable and represent a level of quality of play that offers good value for the dollars spent. With the added controls, new sounds, and fresh graphics, even if you've tried the first version, Gamebox Gems 2.0 has some pleasant surprises.<br /><br /><span><b>Rising Diamonds</b></span><br />Rising Diamond is a strategy-based game wherein the player must selectively eliminate groups of like stones. After each move, a row is added to the bottom. The object is to keep any of the columns from reaching the ceiling. Rising Diamonds is not time-based; the game affords the player as much time as needed to choose each move. The game looks simple, but then so does golf.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/S_sharp-jul2-gems-diamonds.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 1: Rising Diamonds.</i><br /><br /><span><b>Jewel Master </b></span><br />Jewel Master is one of my personal favorites in this game pack. Jewel Master presents the gamer with a hodge-podge of various gems, and it is up to the player to eliminate the gems in such a way as to zap them all without leaving any unmatched gems behind. This game is duplicated from another PDAmill collection entitled Gamebox Classics (which I also have and recommend, but that’s another review) and Jewel Master is, indeed, a classic.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/S_sharp-jul2-gems-jewelmaster.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 2: Jewel Master.</i><br /> <PAGEBREAK> <br /><span><b>The Ruby Connection</b></span><br />The Ruby Connection is one of the few timed games in this collection. Gems are scattered on the screen, the player must find paths to connect like gems, and clear the screen before time expires. The game starts off so painfully simple that it’s hard to comprehend the complexity and level of difficulty that comes with the higher levels. After Jewel Master, this is my favorite game. The Ruby Connection is easy to get into, and it’ll get the player’s pulse rate up.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/S_sharp-jul2-gems-ruby.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 3: The Ruby Connection. </i><br /><br /><span><b>Sunstone Swap</b></span><br />Sunstone Swap, at first glance, looks suspiciously like Bejeweled. The game begins with the screen filled with various gems. The player tries to rotate clusters of four gems to align strings of at least three similar gems and thereby eliminate them. The game is consistent in theme and quality with the others in the collection, and while the concept of this game is similar to Bejeweled, it is slightly different and is still a challenging and addictive game.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/S_sharp-jul2-gems-sunstoneswap.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 4: Sunstone Swap.</i><br /><br /><span><b>Crystal Cave-In</b></span><br />Crystal Cave-In is a strategy-based jewel matching game. The player drags individual gems that fall from the ceiling three at a time and tries to eliminate them by grouping them in blocks of five. This particular game didn’t hold my interest as well as several of the others. While the game is strategy-based, more than anything else, the player’s success seems to depend mostly upon dumb luck in getting the right gems at the right time.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/S_sharp-jul2-gems-crystal.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 5: Crystal Cave-In.</i><br /> <PAGEBREAK> <br /><span><b>Stone Stacker</b></span><br />This game is very similar to Tetris except that only single gems fall instead of oddly shaped blocks, and the player must get 3 in a row to eliminate them. The frequency of the falling stones increases as the levels progress. This one is a bit ho-hum for those of us who got burned out on Tetris ten years ago, but still it’s better than a poke in the eye with a pointy stick.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/S_sharp-jul2-gems-stonestacker.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 6: Stone Stacker.</i><br /><br /><span><b>Sapphire Spires</b></span><br />Sapphire Spires is similar to Stone Stacker except that the gems fall in strings of three, and the player controls the sequence of the gems in each string and strategically places them to form groups of three and eliminate them. This game takes some getting used to, but it’s enjoyable once you get the hang of it.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/S_sharp-jul2-gems-sapphire.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 7: Sapphire Spires.</i><br /><br /><span><b>Stone Stacker+</b></span><br />Stone Stacker+ combines the Tetris-like placement of falling stones and rows pushing up from the bottom as they do in Rising Diamonds. This game is a sort of hybrid between the two games. As the levels progress, the stone fall more frequently, and the stones push up from the bottom more often, and like Rising Diamonds, the player tries to keep any column of stones from reaching the ceiling.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/S_sharp-jul2-gems-stonestacker+.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 8: Stone Stacker+.</i><br /><br /><b><span>Conclusions</span></b><br />Gamebox Gems by PDAmill offers eight games that are similar, but each provides unique challenges. Compared to many games that are currently available for the Pocket PC, Gamebox Gems offers a great value for only $9.95. The games are well produced, the graphics are clean and smooth, and this installment of the Gamebox series lives up to the standards set by other PDAmill favorites such as Gamebox Classics and Gamebox Asia. This game includes over 20 minutes of original music, the game play is smooth, and this package is good for many hours of entertainment. A trial download is available, the package comes with a 30 day money-back guarantee and lifetime free upgrades. Why not give it try?