Unearthing Ancient Treasures

The world has seen many great civilizations, but very few live up the stature, mystique, and power of Ancient Egypt. Even today, thousands if not millions of people are simply enraptured by the concept of Egyptian pyramids, mythology, pharaohs, and everything to do with the culture from long ago. Brickbuster Egypt captures this sense of mystery and awe incredibly well, featuring a rustic appearance that breathes through the sands of time, an authentic soundtrack that really sets the atmosphere, and a cryptic puzzle mechanic that keeps you captivated for hours.

In this fantastic game, you are offered the opportunity to travel through the ancient empire, starting at the Pyramid of Khufu, transversing the vast deserts, and finally arriving at the infinitely famous Sphinx where it may appear that your journey comes to end. But, as you will discover, it is only there that the adventure actually begins!

A New Take on Match Three

Casual game enthusiasts have seen their fare share of the match-three formula. Oftentimes, you are presented with the task of swapping adjacent tiles, for example, to create matching rows of columns. Alternatively, there may be a "shooter" wherein you launch different colored balls into one another until you can get three identical spheres to touch and burst. With this title, the gameplay is quite different.

In the center part of the field are a series of mysterious glyphs and it is up to you to unlock them. Along the perimeter of this field are a number of different colored blocks. When you click on a block at the top of the screen, it shoots downwards until it can attach itself to an existing glyph or brick. Click near the bottom and the block shoots upwards. A similar mechanism has been designed for the left and right. Your ultimate goal is to get three or more like-colored bricks to touch one another and remove themselves from the field, eventually unlocking the glyphs as they first appeared at the beginning of the stage.

Absolutely Mind-Boggling

The early levels are fairly straightforward and are designed to introduce you to this truly novel concept. I know that it can sound complicated based on the description above, but after you get your feet wet -- in the sand, as the case may be -- you'll be clicking, launching, and matching in no time. That said, the difficulty level steadily increases so that each successive stage is more challenging than the one that preceded it. It is this added challenge that keep drawing you in for more.

For this reason, strategy is key. You'll have think several steps ahead, but thankfully, there is no time limit. The "undo" button on the sidebar will also come in useful. Will you unlock all the glyphs and reveal the mysteries of Ancient Egypt, or will be lost in a stunning sandstorm of fun? Play on and find out.