I know that Bejeweled 2 is a great game (I have it for the Xbox 360 and have played it countless times on the Web), but I had no desire to pick it up again for the iPhone.
Until today, when they added Blitz mode.
If you read our site regularly, you probably already know that GrrlGotGame and I were sucked into the Bejeweled Blitz beta on Facebook. This free game - essentially an ad for the full version of Bejeweled 2 on PC, albeit a really cool and fun ad! - lasts 60 seconds and your score is doubled and then added to your other Facebook friends' totals to enter you to win weekly prizes.
I got pretty good at the game when it was beta, and then they finished it and it all went to hell. Now I can barely break 50K points. They glitzed up the graphics, removed the option to easily restart a failing game (I used to right click the Flash app for a superfast reboot but now that's been blocked), allowed you to stack your matches (instead of waiting for the current cascade to end) and added a finishing move, the Last Hurrah, which explodes any unused bonuses at the end of your minute.
That, combined with a busy work schedule, left me NOT playing Blitz much - maybe once a week just to register a score for the prize drawing. But the iPhone version is portable and uses the old style Bejeweled 2 interface so the gems appear crisp against the background and matches are easier to spot. Also, restarts are two taps away, and it even includes auto-hints by default. Truth be told, this is a little unfair to the people stuck playing on Facebook since they have to mouse over to a hint button, which wastes precious seconds. But, considering my recent score record, I'll take it.
I do want to suggest that PopCap seriously consider rebalancing the prize levels. With everyone but me easily breaking 100K, each week I find I'm ranked at the top level - the laptop drawing - before I even play. Not that I wouldn't want to win a tricked out computer, but the odds must be astronomical by now and I'd be almost as happy winning a free game or Chuzzle. So consider either boosting the scores for each prize level, or make people at the higher level also eligible for the lower prizes.
Is it worth $3 (to get the full Bejeweled 2 for iPhone, which includes Blitz as a free mode)? Probably - it was for me. If you're not sure, try the Facebook app for free. If you get hooked and want to play away from your computer, then do it.
