[b]dec 2023 edit:[/b] no longer recommendable, as winterscapes 2 has a ton more content for about the same price. ignore this, and honestly, everything else by these clowns. they've been putting out the same game for decades with the same recycled themes. they're not even reskins at this point, they sunk even lower (to release 15 games with an underwater theme while they're there).
[b]jewel match solitaire[/b] is a long-running card game series, offering the usual +1/-1 gameplay in various settings, the usual power-ups and decoration/upgrade elements. bonus stuff is what makes them stand out, even if each game in the series is just a reskin of the others, as is customary with solitaires, no matter the developer. my reviews for them are also pretty similar to each other.
this particular iteration offers [b]200 frosty levels[/b] with the usual 3-star rating system, and there are [b]5 scenes to assemble[/b] as well. it's just as involved (so not really) as in other games: get emeralds from the levels, unlock a random part, when all done, move on to the next. [b]each scene has to be completed within 40 levels[/b], but there are more emeralds than necessary, and of course levels can be replayed if you missed some. this time the map is the default screen after a level, the scene only comes up if you have enough emeralds, which is great, except [b]clicking 'play' on the scene screen goes back to the map[/b] instead of starting the next level. can't win 'em all...
the [b]3 difficulty settings[/b] offer wildly different experiences. [i]relaxed[/i] allows more than one deal, but even there a star is taken away if you need more than one run through the deck. always completable but not necessarily for 3 stars. [i]normal[/i] operates with a single deal, as is customary, and [i]hard[/i] adds a timer to speed up your card-picking decisions, which is like adding a timer to... well, anything, but if there's a game that doesn't need a ticking clock... well, it's every game, but solitaire especially. difficulty settings can be changed anytime and simply 'solving' a level unlocks the next, don't need a single star to continue.
[b]power-ups are bought with gold[/b] and come in the usual variety, including wildcards and jokers that can also be found randomly. replaying levels, getting achievements and playing bonus games also award gold, and most power-ups can be upgraded to become more beneficial. it isn't clear from the descriptions, but only wildcards and jokers are consumables, the rest are either passive or a certain number per level. [b]gold display is still buggy[/b], spending some doesn't change the value on the map until you visit the castle screen or play another level.
so far so every solitaire ever, but there are [b]12 other card variants[/b], and much to my surprise there's no overlap with the [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/dohi64/recommended/1426890]first jewel match solitaire[/url]:
[list]
[*]algerian patience
[*]blockade
[*]brigade
[*]carre napoleon
[*]emperor
[*]q.c. patience
[*]the red and the black
[*]simple simon
[*]streets redeal
[*]triple line
[*]twin queens
[*]yukon
[/list]
rules are provided for each, but unfortunately [b]there's no toggle for the timer[/b], you'll always see a ticking clock in the corner, whether you care about high scores or not. undo, hints and autoplay are all available, but another downside is, [b]bonus games all have to be unlocked with stars gotten from regular levels[/b]. so it's not like other card collections where you can just play whatever you want.
[b]predictably pleasant presentation[/b] with predicatbly fitting and annoying christmas music. there are separate volume settings (unlocking parts of scenes is much louder than anything else), windowed mode (non-resizable), widescreen toggle, custom cursor and a bunch of card backs and fronts are available, plus there's an optional tutorial and wallpapers. unfortunately, [b]settings aren't available while playing card variants[/b], have to go back to the menu to change anything. there's a snow intensity slider, can turn it off completely, which would've been most welcome in [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/dohi64/recommended/1009700/]jewel match l'amour[/url] with an insane amount of annoying hearts everywhere.
as always, aside from the [b]awkward menu navigation, grating music and bouncing victory screen with unskippable fireworks, buggy gold display and unresponsive wand power-up[/b] (have to click twice to activate it), it's a decent card game with enough content, but [b]with winterscapes 2 in the picture with a lot more content, it's not worth bothering with, even on sale[/b]. at least there's [b]no collector's edition[/b] for this, so nobody has to triple-dip for largely the same thing.
