Puzzle Quest 2
Rating: E-10+ - Everyone 10+

Puzzle Quest returns to it's medieval heritage and proves that battles can be more than hacking and slashing. The "Match Three" battle sequence is pure strategy, and the more exciting part of the game. The story/quest portion seems to be just a way to get more battles - and get back to the puzzle board. There are options for highlighting the path to your next objective, having the hint arrow on the puzzle board on or off and choosing between Easy, Medium or Hard.

You have a choice of characters: Barbarian, Templar, Sorcerer, Assassin and either male or female. Quests take place in the village of Verloren, the tower and the dungeons beneath the icy overland. There is dialog and generally one voiced greeting to send you on your way.

Matching gems will fill up various mana buttons on the upper screen. When a sufficient amount has been acquired, you gain spells like stealth, burning strike, confusion, sneak attack that can be used to deplete your enemy's life points to zero. Special gems, the skull and the gauntlet, add to the excitement of the battle. Skulls reduce life points of your opponent by one point and the gauntlet brings into play any weapons you may have acquired. Many more refinements and RPG elements are in the game.

All action is with the stylus, a real plus when picking the gems and now players are no longer penalized for accidentally touching the wrong gem. Your opponents are mostly mythical monsters and sometimes there are environmental challenges which take different rules. Background music is flute-like but innocuous. Dungeon screens are somewhat primitive, but their purpose is to provide a little story and get you back to the bright gems on the puzzle/battle board.

I do like this form of fighting.

Fun Factor: A most enjoyable combination of two generes.
Female Factor: Female characters can be selected - nice.
Player Friendly: Manual is useless. All information is within the game.

Reviewed by: Editor - Jul/10