Jewels Are The New Thing

Fans of the popular Gold Miner series will be interested to know that the series takes a different direction in its latest incarnation: Jewel Miner. The old miner from the previous games has just been audited by the IRS and he's in danger of losing his casino! As his trusty and touch niece, Jewel, it's your job to get the money for the audit and help ensure that your uncle keeps his beloved casino.

You're introduced to the story in a rather hilarious cutscene where you uncle shows you his audit, which clearly states "Can be pain in cash or jewels." This sense of humor helps the game become absolutely irresistible and you'll fall in love with the quirky characters in no time flat.

A different Game

Jewel Miner drops the old gameplay mechanics and adopts the object-swapping row-creating puzzle fare. This might come as a disappointment to old fans of the series, but it helps keep the gameplay fresh, and with the distinct characters and art style, there is no doubt that this is the Miner franchise.

In each level you're presented with a board of jewels. Underneath some of these jewels are wood panels and you must break them by creating rows on top of them. Of course, you create rows by swapping jewels with adjacent jewels so that they line up and form matching rows of three or more. Once all of the wood paneling has been destroyed, the mine will become yours and you can move on to the next level.

You'll have to stay on your toes while you collect jewels, because it's a race to finish with Hansel and his partner Joey Joe Joe closing in right behind you! Actually, they can be seen on the bottom of the screen, drilling through a wall of dirt. Once they get through that wall, they reach the jewels and you lose the level!

You've got more than just your pick at your disposal, so don't worry. Various powerups can be purchased in between levels and several items will show up in puzzles that can have explosive results! You can purchase things like dynamite to blow up specific jewels, or maybe a four leaf clover to help your luck; this will cause extra rows to disappear as jewels fall!

Play at Your Leisure

While the main adventure mode is both fun and hilarious, sometimes you'll want to mix it up! Cave-in mode is a much faster, more difficult game mode where you must last as long as you can before the mine collapses! Hansel and his sidekick move much faster in this mode, so watch out!

A Worthy Successor

While hardcore fans of the series may be displeased with the changes, Jewel Miner definitely holds its own. It has the same look and feel of the old games, and it's good to see the creators changing the formula before it runs out of steam. All of your favorite characters are back and with Gold Miner being an unlockable character, who can so no?