Zuma is back!

Zuma shouldn't need any introduction, but since it's almost six years old, some of you might not be familiar with it. Zuma was released towards the end of 2003 and was met with universal acclaim, setting a new standard for puzzle games.

The object was an elaboration on the classic match-three puzzler. You control a frog that resides in the middle of the screen as a train of multi-colored orbs chugs along around you. If the orbs reach their destination, you lose, so you must stop that from happening. You do so by shooting orbs out of your mouth and making matches in the chain. Keep making matches until they're all gone and you beat the level.

That's it?

Yes, that's it! It's a simple premise, for sure, but Zuma made it work with intelligent level design, power-ups that altered the gameplay, and a whole lot of charm. Now, six years later, Zuma's Revenge is doing the same.

I regret abandoning ship

The intro to the game is hilarious and I was actually laughing out loud at parts. It depicts the frog floating on a makeshift raft with a pair of undershorts for a sail on the rough ocean waves while the loading bar at the bottom of the screen says things like "regretting abandoning ship," "staying confident," and "loving being a frog."

The entire game is laugh-out-loud funny and when you wash up on the shore of a remote island, you'll get a kick out of the inhabitants and their apprehension when dealing with this strange frog.

Playing the game

Zuma's Revenge is deceptively simple. The premise, which I described above, is easy to understand and completely accessible. But when you consider the amount of power-ups available, the gameplay gets deeper and you'll begin to employ strategy. Just matching colors won't always work when the chain of orbs gets really long and you have multiple options.

The key to a high score is combos, and you do that by making matches that will then cause other orbs to match. If you see a group of two red orbs surrounded on both sides by green orbs, that's a good match to make. Once the reds are gone, the greens will then automatically match and possibly trigger an even longer combo.

Power-ups

There are power-ups that slow the chain, freeze it, and even ones that cause it to go backwards. There's also a power-up that will improve your accuracy for a short while. This is just a sample of what's available. To get a power-up, spot an orb containing one and match it. It's that easy.

The game speaks for itself

I don't know if I've done a good job of enticing you to play Zuma's Revenge, but you absolutely should. Maybe the game sounds too simple to be fun for very long, but that couldn't be further from the truth. There's a reason that Zuma was a massive success and if you give it a try, I guarantee you that you'll be one of its many fans.