Introduction: Another puzzlefest from Dreamcatcher? Who needs it?
I DO!!

If there were any doubts
that Dreamcatcher Interactive has become of the industry leader
in terms of puzzle-based adventure games,
they are dispelled by Jewels II: The Ultimate Challenge. Sometimes
known as Gems of Darkness, Jewels II fits in nicely with Dreamcatcher’s
other puzzle titles (including Quest for Karma – formerly Karma:
Curse of the 12 Caves), and it is very clearly a sequel to Jewels
of the Oracle.

Gems, Jewels, Karma, who
cares, the point here is that in this game we’ve got another
beautiful collection of brain-spraining puzzles in a hauntingly
beautiful and mysterious setting.

YOU DON’T
PLAY THIS ONE FOR THE STORY

Unlike the original, single-CD
Jewels of the Oracle, Jewels II ships on three. Now, before you
get all excited and think, “Hey!
This must mean there’s tons more story!”, let me tell
you that yes, there is SLIGHTLY more story this time around. But
not much.

Once again you find yourself
in a pre-Sumerian archeological site. But, lo and behold, this
time there’s actually a flesh-and-blood
character in the game. He’s an archeology professor, and he
congenially welcomes you to the excavation and gives you a little
background. He explains that the puzzles are laid out on three floors
(three floors, three disks!), and no one knows what to make of them,
and sure, you’re welcome to wander around all you like. And
maybe you can even solve some of those darn puzzles! The professor,
of course, is concerned with The Big Picture, and is sure that the
site is hiding more than a bunch of mere puzzles.

So after talking to him,
you’re off on your way. The game
consists of visiting twenty-four rooms, each which contains a beautifully
designed and frequently deviously difficult puzzle. Except for the
final, 25th puzzle, the gameplay is completely non-linear. The site
consists of three levels (eight puzzles on each), and each level
is a bit more difficult than the last.

Whenever you like you
can return to the professor, and he’ll
give you some comforting pat on the back – “Very good!
That was a good one to get.” These responses are randomly generated,
which is a shame. It would have been fun every now and them to hear
him say, “Congrats! Gee, that maze was a real bitch, wasn’t
it?!”

THREE CDS? HOW PUZZLING

Other than these video
clips, I struggle to explain to you how this game could have conceivably
been stretched out to fit on three disks.
Granted, there is a bit more animation in the movement as you get
to and from puzzle to puzzle. And in several of the rooms you can
find an additional hotspot which will reveal a clue or just be something “fun.”

Each time you successfully complete a puzzle, you are rewarded with
a rune-inscribed token. These tokens are collected in a box that
you can open and mark your progress with. In addition to the token
box, there is a map feature on the interface that facilitates movement
around the game. With each floor on a different disk, you can keep
disk swapping to a minimum.

A new element that’s more interesting than the video clips
of the professor is the fact that a couple of the puzzles are of
the “multiple choice” variety. In one room, for example,
there is a stack of drawers, each containing a different spin on
that room’s puzzle. Complete any one of them and you are rewarded
with the token.

PLEASE. JUST FOUR
MORE HOURS, HONEY, AND I PROMISE I’LL COME
TO BED.

How are the puzzles? Well,
to put it simply, they’re simply
wonderful. I didn’t even care that some of them are souped-up
retreads of puzzles from the first game. In fact, I was thrilled
to see a return of the strategic movement puzzle in which you move
a little bug around to carefully clear a board of dozens of little
balls. I loved this puzzle in Jewels; I liked this more difficult
version even more.

Just like the last game,
you have the choice of solving the puzzles on Easy or Hard mode,
and (again, happily) you can make this choice
on the fly, between puzzles – as opposed to having to make
one choice for the entire game.

Also, as in Jewels, the
music and sound effects combined with the interesting visuals to
create a fabulous atmosphere of mystery. It
suggests just enough “context” for these puzzles to elevate
this game beyond mere puzzledom.

This time around there’s also a built-in hint feature, in
the guise of the professor’s “journal.” Very helpful
when you’re tired of pulling your hair out in fistfuls.

Unfortunately, just like the last game, there is still no undo feature
and no saving the game in mid-puzzle-solve. Also, the game commits
the annoying sin of having only launching from Disk 1.

However, these criticisms
aside, I had a great time wrinkling my brow over this fine collection
of beautifully animated puzzles. I’d
be first in line to play Jewels III.

PROS: Beautiful, challenging, addictive puzzle play.

CONS: Story a mere wisp, lamentable omission of an Undo feature.

CONCLUSION: For lovers of atmospheric, beautiful puzzles, a must.

Final Grade: B

System Requirements:

PC

• Pentium
• Windows 3.1/95
• 16MB RAM
• 16MB hard-drive
  space
• 2x CD-ROM drive
• 16-bit
  SVGA graphic
• supports Sound Blaster-compatible
  sound cards

MAC

• System 7.5
• 16 MB RAM
• 680 x 480 Video (thousands of colors)
• Double speed or faster CD-ROM drive

This
review is copyright Ray Ivey and Just Adventure and
may not be republished elsewhere without the express written consent
of the author. Republication of said review must also contain a link
back to Just Adventure.