Zuma's Revenge! Review: The Sequel to Popular PC Puzzle Game Zuma

Zuma is one of the flagship franchises of casual video game studio PopCap Games, and has sold over 17 million copies to date (making it one of the best-selling franchises of all time). The original Zuma was released in 2003 and became a runaway hit, securing awards and being featured in tournament play.

Zuma's Revenge! was released in the fall of 2009, and quickly established itself as a worthy follow-up to the original. Both games are quick-paced PC-based puzzlers, requiring players to clear strings of colored balls by matching 3 or more of one color. As is common in these "Match 3"-style games, matching extra balls leads to bonus points.

The object of the basic game mode (called Adventure mode) is to match and clear balls, before they can make their way across the level and disappear down a drain. Your "character" is a frog you control, which spits colored balls as you direct. The trick is to watch the moving string of balls, and correctly aim the ball in the frog's mouth so that it gets next to balls of the same color. This takes some skill as the levels advance, and a few mistakes could get you the dreaded "Game Over" faster than you might think.

Once every 10 levels, you encounter a "boss" in the form of a tiki god. Inevitably, each of these has a different trick up their sleeve, but has to be defeated by your ball-spitting frog to advance through the game. This is a new feature that wasn't in the original Zuma, and it adds an extra tier of difficulty to the game.

After playing through the basic Adventure mode, it's on to the more difficult "Iron Frog Gauntlet" and Challenge modes. There's also a "Heroic" option, which allows a tougher replay of the adventure levels. These levels are fun for completionists or advanced players, but may be a little too frustrating for the average novice.

Though the premise is silly and simple, Zuma's Revenge! (like many PopCap titles) is deceptively addictive. This is the kind of game you resolve to play for "just a few more minutes," only to find that hours have gone by when you check the clock again. Don't let the crack factor scare you off, though. If you love puzzle games, you owe it to yourself to play this classic example as well as the original Zuma.