by Tanya Short

Created on: June 22, 2008   Last Updated: June 25, 2008

Saqqarah is the best match-3 game in years it's definitely a 5 out of 5. I'm used to seeing games that provide either the same old Bejewelled clone, or maybe a variation on it of some kind, but Saqqarah actually lets you try four different variations, just in the demo, with four more unlocked when you buy it. It's perfect whether you feel like solving a logic problem or just mindlessly matching colors, since each of the different ancient Egyptian temples provide distinct game play. And once you figure out which one you like, there's a full game's worth of that puzzle ready to play.

The graphics and music are very high quality. Almost everything in the game is aesthetically pleasing, from the menus to the game pieces themselves. Although the Egyptian theme doesn't really effect game play, it makes the game that much more interesting as you meet different ancient gods and goddesses and learn how their puzzle types work.

I only have two real criticisms. First, I really am not fond of the blue magical monkey that serves as your guide. His constant commentary seemed to take away from the overall atmosphere of the game and felt slightly intrusive into my experience. He was just a little bit annoying, but in such a well-polished game, he stuck out. Second, I felt I wasn't challenged at all in the 60 minute demo. Maybe I've played too many match-3 games, or maybe I want more challenge than the average player, but I felt that the lack of difficulty rendered the time limit, magic powers, and even the shuffle ability just about pointless. This might exacerbate the blue monkey problem, since I felt doing anything at all made him shout "Amazing!".

Even with these drawbacks in mind, though, I am probably going to buy Saqqarah the next time I need a game to pass the time. None of the game types were particularly innovative, but I've never seen so many packaged them all together in a single, user-friendly bundle. I'm probably going to be recommending Saqqarah to match-3 fans for years.

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