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Jewel Match Twilight 3 is the latest edition to Suricate Games’ Match-3 series.  As the game’s title might indicate, this offering has a ghostly theme as it features eerie sounds and abandoned buildings that require restoring.  This review is based on a Collector’s Edition of the game that comes with bonus levels, spooky wallpaper and music.

Profiles can be created for individual players so that the results of their performances can be recorded allowing then to continue the game from where they left off.  Settings can be applied to the volume levels for music, sound effects and ambient with an autoscroll speed option.  Other settings are available and these include interactive help, low resolution, full screen mode, OpenGL video, static pieces, no hint arrows and small tiles.  There is no choice when it comes to difficulty level but you can select from Relaxed, Time limited or Move limited modes.

Spread over 200 levels, this game consists of different shaped grids that are divided into rooms that are connected with pointers indicating the links between the rooms so that they can be cleared of any special pieces, stars and rewards they may contain.  The clearance of the grid shaped rooms is generally carried out by the standard method of creating groups of three or more tiles of the same type by swapping two adjacent tiles.  The created group will then disappear to be replaced by other tiles falling downwards. 

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When the created group contains four pieces, a reward of a rainbow piece is given. This rainbow piece can be matched with any other piece.  If the created group contains five tiles then the reward will be a fishbone.  Depending upon the shape of the fishbone, it can be used to clear a row, column or both by just clicking on it.

As well as creating groups and capturing various rewards, you need to be on the lookout for coins.  These coins will appear randomly in the grids and add to your bank balance.  This balance can be used for purchasing power-ups and tools to help complete grids plus pay for the abandoned buildings to be restored.

In the clearance of grids you will need to remove wooden boxes plus single and double strands of chains that are holding down some tiles. Other types of blockages hampering your progress are ice cubes, safes with a number code, key locked tiles and a dark fog which can cover entire areas of the grid. 

The removal of these obstacles can be carried out by the creation of groups alongside them or by using some of the various tools that are available for purchase from the game’s shop.  These tools include a hammer of various strengths, chain destroyer, treasure chest to hold collected jewels and extra lives plus spells for chain lightning, fireball, fishbone and chrome frenzy. Mana bottles can be collected from grids if you notice them before they disappear.  You need Mana bottle to charge any spells you may have purchased.

As mentioned in the shop’s stock of items, a treasure chest is a required and one is allocated at the start of the game.  Different sizes of chests are available to hold designated amounts of items.  Once this level is reached and the chest is full then any items collected subsequently will be lost, thus indicating that you need to purchase a larger chest.  The chest can store silver and gold coins, stars, amulets and gold nuggets.

Once the various grids and associated rooms, making up a level, have been completed then you will be offered the choice of moving on to the next level or tackling a crypt room.  This room can contain bonus treasures and golden stars which give access to extra decorative elements for restoring castle scenes.

Before actually moving on to the next level in the game, you can use money earned from clearing grids to restore the abandoned buildings and scenes.  Small image representing the necessary elements of the scene will be displayed across the bottom of the screen and you can select from those you can afford.  These elements will appear within the current scene.  There are nine such scenes and each one completed will bring the reward of access to a wallpaper option.

From time-to-time bonus games will become available.  Once unlocked, these games can be completed for additional cash with an additional bonus for being the fastest.  These bonus games are made up of 30 Match-3 offerings without the use of spells, 15 mah-jongg boards and 3 scenes with Hidden Objects.  These bonus games can be replayed many times until you are happy with your performance.

Jewel Match Twilight 3 Collector’s Edition is visually impressive with some great looking scenes and animated effects plus appropriate sound effects.  The various grids and bonus games are challenging and should keep you fully occupied for numerous long gaming sessions.  I downloaded my copy of the game from Gamehouse.com where it is available priced at $19.99.  The game requires a 1.2GHz processor with 512 MB of RAM and 175 MB of hard disk space running Windows 7 and later.

http://www.gamehouse.com/download-games/jewel-match-twilight-3-collectors-edition