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This is a single-player gem matching game that takes elements of standard tile matching games and combines it with a bit of Puzzle Bobble and a bit of Tetris. As with many tile/gem matching games the heart of Crystal Wizard is lining up three or more gems of the same colour. When this happens the gems disappear and points are scored. Any gems stacked above the gems that have disappeared will drop down to fill the vacated spaces and if they make combinations of three or more they too will disappear rewarding the player with 'chain bonuses'. What makes this game a bit different are the puzzle levels and game design. The basic game is straightforward enough, the player positions the wizards hand and releases the gem so that it falls to its brethren waiting below. However the play area is divided into two halves, the upper half which the player uses to direct the gem they are about to drop and the lower half where the stack of fallen gems resides. There is a floodline to this lower half and when the stack of fallen gems rises above this limit it's game over. As the player progresses positioning gems accurately becomes more difficult because pegs and ramps appear in the play area and obstruct the fall of the gem. This is where another of the game's feature comes into its own because, as well as just dropping gems into place, the player can also 'throw' then to bounce off the side walls. In addition to the standard game there are several bonus levels which are single level quick games. There is no save-game feature but the main game and the bonus levels all record the ten highest scores and there are multiple difficulty settings. |
