Zuma's Revenge

Zuma's Revenge, from game developer and publisher PopCap, is the addictive and surprisingly charming sequel to the bubble-shooting, match-three game that is Zuma.

Set in the vaguely South American past, the player has to play through levels of ever-increasing difficulty in the shortest possible time, racing to clear the lengthy string of coloured stones that roll along twisting paths before they can vanish inside the skull that marks the end of the route. The player shoots from a central point that is predetermined, but can rotate to shoot in any direction from that point (which is in the shape of a stone frog, the players' default avatar). The twists and turns of the route, which even occasionally take the stream of stones 'underground' or out of reach of the player's shots, help to make the game even more exciting. The player has one stone loaded, ready to shoot, and can see the colour of the ball to follow. If preferred, the player can switch between the two.

In the original game, there were few power-ups and a limited number of levels. In Zuma's Revenge there are more power-ups, bonuses that are earned by shooting stones at them, sometimes through gaps in the stream of stones (which incidentally is useful even when there is no tempting bonus lurking in the corners as it earns the player a points boost called a 'gap bonus' – this is more generous when the gap is smaller). Zuma's Revenge also features Boss Battles at the end of each level, which are similar to the regular levels but much harder to succeed in. Each boss also features 'dialogue' in the form of text appearing on the screen, challenging and insulting the player to spur him or her onto greater efforts! While the premise may seem trite and overdone, the wording is amusing and the challenges are effective in breaking up what could otherwise become fairly monotonous gameplay.

The various power-ups aid the player, with explosive stones, precise pointers and a slow-down stones all available. It is relatively easy to gain the power-ups: all you need to do is look out for the stones with symbols on them (for example, the slow-down power-up features a raised hand, something like a traffic policeman would hold up to regulate the flow of vehicles). Make a match with these stones and this causes the power-up to activate instantly. The power-ups have a time limit to them and vanish once the time has expired.

There are several game modes: Adventure is the standard, normal play mode. Heroic Frog is similar, but more difficult to navigate. Iron Frog involves trying to solve ten levels with just one life and Challenge mode involves trying to score as many points as possible in three minutes.

Pros

• A fun game, ideal for lengthy play or a quick distraction on your coffee break
• Multi-platform play available: PC, Nintendo DS and X-Box all offer the game
• The game is also available in an extremely shortened form on Facebook, ideal for very short breaks during the working day!

Cons

If overplayed, the game can become tedious as the aims of each level are the same. However

It is more likely that a 'quick game' will turn into a very long game instead as it is very easy to become determined to try 'just one more time' to beat that tricky level!