Thanks for your extensive comment!

The way I see it there are two crucial points in this game. First and foremost the primary goal is to collect as many GEMS as possible, because it's the only way to end a level. Furthermore it is of major importance having as much TIME as possible to spend on the primary goal.
Consequently the most valuable upgrades appear to be "Number of gems on the screen at once", "Time to complete a level", the Harvesting Totem and the Time Totem.

I'm on level 3-4 now and have 17 stars at my disposal. The available 'star slots' in the store add up to 21, so the choice which upgrades to take isn't that difficult anyway. The ones I leave out are usually the Golden Totem, the points bonus, the Painter Totem or the Fire Totem.
I'd like to spend four stars instead of one on the time bonus and four instead of two on the Time Totem, but it's just not possible. I think there should be more freedom to deploy the available stars in the store.

So in the game itself I'm always looking out for the proper tiles to unleash the Time Totem or the Harvesting Totem if there are a lot of gems on the screen.
But in the end I just don't seem to be quick enough to spot the matching tiles. ;-)

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Thanks for your feedback Mad Ollie. :)

I used to like match-three games and I played a lot of them. This one is the most unpleasant one I have ever tried. Perhaps I am simply too old, but all the special effect and infos breaking the game disturb so much that I cannot concentrate. Nice graphics, simpe play, erased it today. My note - altogether 4.

Might be a nice game, but I found it a bit too hard. Most often the time limit is too tight and there is too much luck involved. I found it quite frustrating to have 69 of 70 gems and repeatedly seeing the last minute run out but just not getting the right stones for a harvest or time totem.

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Hi Mad Ollie, I had the same problem the first time i played this game. I think I was stuck on around level 14 for months and gave up for quite some time. When the second one was released, i retuned to it as I found it better than the second one, and after some practice was able to get past and progress. I think it's down to what power ups you choose. You can reverse these and re choose. The extra time one is a given, though I'd also try without it as sometimes having extra gems on the board, or one of the totems can be a better bet. Try planning your first moves before the game actually starts. You can pause the game and get some idea as to where to start. This can save you 20 or so seconds and is worth considering. Check the Alawar forums related to the game. you won't find the game by going to alawars site. You need to type in the name of the game and Alawar to get the correct page. there should be hundreds of comments releated to this game as it's quite old now.

http://www.alawar.com/game/the-treasures-of-montezuma/

Just checked the page and it appears that all of the comments have been removed. Maybe you have to be signed in to see the comments. There definitely used to be comments as I'm sure I left one myself. I used to leave comments about all of the games I purchased or got for free for beta testing. I've only purchased one game from Alawar since they changed the activation method a few years ago. I don't like the new method becasue you have to reapply for a new activation code every time you reinstall the game onto a new system , or if you upgrade or reinsall your operating system (which I do frequently)

I did demo the 4th in the series but also did not like it although there is a relaxed mode (casual). One other strike against this version of the game... I found it difficult to tell the tokens apart when they had items on or around them... chains take up most of the token and the shiny gems & bonuses on top blur the token so it is difficult to see which tokens matche. Also the colors are similar which makes it difficult to match the tokens quickly... at least for me.

This one is a gem, I find it to be the best match 3 I've played so far. I bought Treasures of Montezuma 2 back in the day as well, but found all the changes to make the game inferior to the original.

Actually I had this game before and loved it. But in my opinion they should offer the latest sequel to this game here(I think it is at the 3rd sequel)since the sequels have improved over this original one. I think it doesn't make sense to offer the first game here and expect comments for improvements when there are sequels which may have already made those improvements. If possible offer the latest sequel here.
Anyway I will download this game and try ti again. Thank you for this game.

Hi,

Downloaded quickly and game is easy to run and play. Completed about 5 levels easy! Will look forward to playing the rest.
Thanks for another good game!

game wont extract get error message

........................Moderator comment.......................

there are some fixes for this problem over in the FAQ's thread in the Game discussion forums:

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/11647

I've had this problem myself and found using a different file archiver solved the problem. I've linked to several free ones in the FAQ;s thread.

b.t.w. what was the error message? Often the error message will tell an experienced user what the solution is

Strike 1: timed only & must pass level in alotted time to proceed
Strike 2: timer must run out before level can be restarted
Strike 3: power-ups don't keep up with difficulty of board (at least not for me)
Strike 4: (yeah, I know; no such thing) bland graphics & same boards over and over.

I realize this is a really OLD game but with some tweaks, it could be upgraded to a really spectacular game. My main problem with this game is that it is timed and the timer seems to keep getting ridiculously shorter on each level. Replaying levels over and over to proceed is not something I like to do unless the game is really addictive which this one is not (at least not for me). I'm stuck on L4-3 and after replaying several times, decided it's not the game for me. I realize I'm in the minority but just wanted to voice my opinion.

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Just because you are in the minority, doesn't mean your comments are less valid. I've just been playing the fourth in the series, which becme available via my favorite client Steam recently and I think you may find it's much improved. There are three modes of play Puzzle, Story and Quest. It has all of the original content, plus loads of extra's and the graphics are much improved as well. I'd been disappointed with the second and third games, so had assumed the fourth one was no better, but, after playing iot for a few hours today I think it copuld be a better game than the original, simply becasue they have added more to the game. Not sure whether there is an untimed mode yet as I've only played the story mode and puzzle modes. The Quest mode is locked at the moment. Hopefully the developer will have listened to the community and added an untied mode. :)

Please add a "relaxed" option to this game. Yes, I added stars to the timer but still ran out of time around the 7th level. Very frustrating especially for us elderly. Too stressful and not fun. Also when a square had a gem in it, couldn't tell if it was yellow or orange. Uninstalled.

................................Moderator Comment.................................

I agree that this game would be improved by adding a relaxed mode, that would enable those who are slower in reactions. I'm sure with practice you will be able to progress past the 7th level. Choosing the correct power ups and using strategies to ensure you complete a level will become evident as you play more.

Installed without any issues. Good game play, sound effects and art work (although the latter appears a tad dated). Only improvement I can suggest is having a relaxed (untimed) mode. Overall, it is a keeper.

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Thank you for your feedback, the game is several years old now, considering, i think the graphics have stood up quite well. :)

You have to be careful when trying to make color matches in a row for bonuses. If you match red, then swap a blue and a red and it makes a match for both colors, it won't always give you credit for the red one, for example. I *think* if you make sure your pointer is on the red one when you make the switch, it will give you the credit but not if it is on the blue. I was playing too fast to keep track though lol. I usually don't care for match 3 (except for Zuma or Luxor) but this one is pretty nice.

.............................Moderator comment.............................

Thank you for your feedback Angie, yes, it's easy to overlook that when trying to make two color matches; I usually make sure I create the first match from the highest match (with respect to height on the playing field, so as not to cause other matches or to disturb the second color match.

Oh, I've missed this one since changing computers! Thank you so much for letting me have it back.

Not much else I can say really - got a game to play and get reacquainted with . . .

:D

Installed and plays fine on my Windows 8.1 machine. I had this game on an old computer and haven't played it in a few years. Nice to have it back as it is one of my favorite Match 3 games.

If you don't have it and you enjoy Match 3 games.. you can't go wrong with this one. :)

Thanks Alawar. :!: :)

Used to own this game, loved it and glad it's back.

I absolutely love this game! I already have it from one of the freebie sites. It's got good sounds, good powerups, good music....really good game.

First time this has happened to me from anything here: game seemed to install fine (despite an early comment that this didn't need installation, the file I downloaded did (a zip containing a setup.exe and a .gcd file like the others here). Once installed (and after it validated, etc.), the game wouldn't open---simply said "stopped working". So I tried again; same results. Nuked everything, downloaded again, and reinstalled from the fresh download; same result. New Win 8.1 computer with all the bells and whistles, and never had a problem installing anything from here before that I can recall.

I, too, wasn't able to download last week's game---it was downloading way too slowly, another problem I rarely have here since I come early! Will look for it to be offered again.

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Check the FAQ's over in the game discussion forums sticky section.

I would have appreciated some arrows on the beginning page as it took me awhile to figure out how to move the stars. It might have been easier if I'd changed the size of the window first. I really liked that there were a couple of easy options for changing the way the window appeared. Hope this makes sense.

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Thank you for your feedback Elaine

This one is OK, but the combination of time limits and a confusing power-up system makes gameplay a little annoying for the casual player.

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The ability to select various power ups randomly except when you first start the game is one of the reasons I find this game so enjoyable. I don't see the confusion; basically each power up can be unl;oicked as you gain stars, and each of those power ups can be increased in power up to 5 times. Some of the power ups add extra time, others allow explosions and others destroy cerain colored tiles depending on which you chose. You can check what each power up does when you get the selection screen. Read them all to get abetter idea as to what they do. Once you understand, it will make the game much more interesting to play.

Decent Match 3, just got me annoyed on a certain level, lol. 6 timers and can't crack it even on 5 mins. Maybe have to replay & devote stars to buy more time for 6+ mins if can. 25 gems is beating me since not a true Match 3 fan, but this one is nice. Win 8.1.2 x64 Pro. Make icon. Light load. plays fast. Thanks.

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I remember the first time I played this game, I found it really difficult to get past level 15 (or thereabouts) and did go for selecting timers and the number of gems showing at any one time as my first upgrades. Keep at it, you will succeed eventually. :)

On Win 8.1 64bit this game not working, start with a mini-windows and then reduce icon on the taskbar, is not possibile maximize this window.
I have try to activate compatibility mode to Win7, Vista and XP but not working.

I have try to download a trial version from bigfish web site and the trial working good with no problem.
Because this problem only with this giveaway?

.................................Moderator comment......................

Hi Garf02, thousands of community members have already downloaded this game and no one has posted mentioning the problem you are having. It may be that the security file included with the installation files are causing problems, or one of your background programs is confl;icting with the giveaway version. Try installing it to a different folder than the default one.

I can't really suggest anything at this time. I'm running the game on my main computer that's Win 8.1 64 bit. Have you checked the FAQ's thread over in the game discussion forums?

Thank you for this game. I have been missing ToM since my hard drive crash several months ago. Now one of my favorite Match 3 games is back!

As with many others, disappointed with not completing the download/installation of last weeks HUGE game. I was able to get it downloaded but was not able to get it installed and activated before the deadline locked me out :( I will be waiting for it again!

I really appreciate the GameGivaway team and the game vendors who do this and give us the opportunity to try their games. And I appreciate you Whiterabbit for your reviews even when you have so much going on in your life. God bless you all.

Sorry about last week..............................Moderator comment..............................

.

Thanks for the repeat!!! This is one of my favorite match 3 games, and I had lost it when I replaced my computer. I like hard, fast, and thinking, and this game is all 3. In easier match 3 games, I tend to go without power ups to make the game more challenging. But in this one, I love picking the power ups because it makes the game a lot more interesting, but not easier. Jewel Quest will always be my favorite, but this one isn't far behind!

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:)

Just simply the best game out. Thanks GGOTD!!!

This is simply the BEST match-3 game I've ever played.
Honestly, after this I just couldn't enjoy any other such games.

I love these things about the gameplay:

- the tiles feel "real" - meaning you don't have the sense you often get with match-3s that you are manipulating a bunch of colored pixels;
- the sound effects are neither overdone, nor understated, but just right;
- the difficulty grows quite challenging over the levels, but there is a good gradual growth that doesn't leave you behind;
- there is a cultural similarity, so some uniformity to the artwork, yet it doesn't get boring;
- there is a good variety of power-ups, and you get free reign over their management as you advance;
- there are fun mini-games at the end of chapters (my favorite one's the memory match game);
- and finally, the music is fine, though if you end up hooked, like I did once, it is easy enough to replace in the 'Music' directory of the game :-)

It's not just worth the download, it's also a keeper!

..............................Moderator comment..............................

Thank you for your feedback Hobo, agree with you on all points. I've played this game over and over and will be doing so for the next few days again. I recently purchased the third and fourth via Steam, but haven't played them yet as they aren't as enticing as the first one. :).

download link isn't working for me ??

..............................Moderator comment..............................

Check th FAQ's section of the game discussion forums.

Thanks Whiterabbit.
It would have been nice to get an appologie and an update from the "horses mouth". I started the download late afternoon/evening and when I woke up it was over :-(. If not a total offer they should at least let us activate it.

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I agree, especially as the 14 day message was misleading; unfortunately I have no say whatsoever, as i'm only a volunteer. :(

Zum ersten Mal seit ich Spiele von dieser Seite installiert habe, hat mein Antivirenprogramm (AVG) Alarm geschlagen und die Installation unterbunden.
It's the first time since I have installed games from this side, that AVG reported a virus and denied the installation.

..............................Moderator comment..............................

Marge, AVG is notorious for false positives. It's probably picking up the security file {.gcd}. Let me assure you there is no malware attached to this game. If you've never played it beofre and decide not to download most of the community would agree that you would be missing out on one of the best giveaways we've ever had on the giveaway site. You could download it from Jenkat or MyPlayCity, but you must make sure to uncheck boxes to prevent toolbars and home page hijacks.

I was so excited to see this game again! I lost it when I had a computer change, it went to the trial version. It is one of the best ever match 3 games. Constantly changing challenges and bonus options makes it one of the most exciting games ever. Thanks GOTD for getting this one back for me!

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:).

Thanks so much for this lovely game. Dowloaded and extracted smoothly with windows7 64bit. No issues what so ever. Plays well... I used the option of widescreen .. colours are wonderful and soothing to the eyes. Great interface... easy and a pleasure to play.
Thank you Alawar for this.... always look forward to seeing your games on this wonderful site. Thanks GGOTD !!
Rita :) :) :)

Downloaded quickly (unlike last week..hehe) and installed with no errors or concerns.

I really enjoy this game. I guess the graphics could be better....but why? The game is simple and yet addictive. I have purchased many match games and this one by far is more appealing to the eyes and enough power-ups to keep the game fresh. This one I believe will become my favorite. Thank you.

Supplement -- I just went to Alawar and did a search on "Treasures of Montezuma". It found 3 - ToM 2, ToM 3, and ToM -- all listed as "exclusive". That seems to match the links above with the developer listed as Alawar but the site listed as BigFish.

Personal Preference comment -- I refuse to even consider actually buying from Alawar (with other than an Opinion Outpost game voucher) because they do not list the price of the games on the site. You have to download the trial to even find out how much it costs. I strongly object to that kind of stunt!

I did the same search on BigFishGames. They list all 4 ToM games. "Exclusive" if found elsewhere??????

Again -- it appears to be retired by Alawar but still available elsewhere, including the Freebie Circuit.

..............................Moderator comment..............................

Hi Diane, Alawar only keep the most recent and most popular games on their main site. They move older games to one of their other game sites called Gamextacy (spelled wrong, can't remember the exact spelling as I've not installed any of my Alawar games in a long time). I don't know why all of the Alawar games are being routed via BigFish. In the listings it does list that the contributor is Alawar, which is why I usually include the Alawar symbol at the beginning of my reviews. I stopped buying Alawar games when they changed their activation method. I liked the old way as it meant I could install my games on any computer, or reinstall after a format without having to contact the distributor, like I did with the now defunct Reflexive Arcade. I bought over 900 arcade games from them and almost lost them all when amazon bought Reflexive, then renaged on the promise that activation servers would be kept open. thankfully i found one of those activation generators that allows me to reinstall most of my Reflexive games as I did download all of the exe files before they m,oved over to Amazon.

I don't know whether Alawar have changed their poicy as It's been a while since I purchased a game from them (a new breakout game). Sadly, if the community decide not to buy any games from Alawar, we will lose them as a contributor to this site.

With respect to the link to BigFish, i'm wondering whether it's the way Alawar have their site set up now???

I originally played this game from a giveaway here. It is an excellent, if old, game. It is old enough that it seems to have been retired by Alawar (as the original Bejeweled has from PopCap). It seems as if they are concerned on it's being able to be played on the newer operating systems and they obviously do not want to support the game with changes at this stage.

I have all four of the ToM games. All are different and despite complaints on some of them, I have enjoyed them all. The 4th one is a bit different than the others. I remember when I first played ToM, it took me days to get past the 80 jewel level. Now I can get through the entire game without running out of time at all (on normal difficulty, that is).

This game is also available 24/7 from Jenkat and MyPlayCity. MyPlayCity also has ToM 2. Jenkat has a screwy install (that I hate but can work around) but does not have a browser opening nor does it hijack anything. The last game I tried with MyPlayCity didn't have any hijacking or other software or browser opening and also no choices as to its install location (also circumventable).

I don't expect MyPlayCity's "simple" install to stay, I suspect it's a transition of some sort.

ToM is also included in some CD/DVD game collections, particularly from Viva Media. It sometimes has a name change but it's still the same game.

If you don't have it and like Match 3 games in the slightest - get it. You'll be delighted!

..............................Moderator comment..............................

Alawar have other sites where older games are moved to. When you install some of their games a link to one of those sites is installed you the desktop. (Gamextacy).

I must disagree about this game. I find nothing spectacular about it. Top five? I don't think so. Remember Puzzle Hero? I believe it was this site from which I acquired it. It is much better than this game. This game is slow as far as the speed at which the tiles swap. Graphics are okay, but this is just another Match 3 - nothing special. Deleted.

..............................Moderator comment..............................

Puzzle Hero is one of a newer breed of match threes, which as you say is a great game, but there are now much better versions, for example Puzzle Quest 1 & 2, Puzzle Kingdoms as well as other puzzle titles; all have rpg elements where you can improve the character as you progress through the levels and resupply with potions, gold etc through creating matches, or fight against your opponents by also creating specific matches. I think Puzzle Hero was one of the first of this type; it's a brilliant idea and Puzzle Kingdoms 2 is one of my top 5 favorite match 3's.

We all have our opinions on what's good and what is not, i'm sure most of us would have different top fives, but Treasures of Montezuma would be in there for most communitry members here. If we had a vote on which match threes were considered the best, I reckon the majority of the community would vote todays game as one of their favorites. Mine are Treasures of Montezuma, Puzzle Kingdons 2, Luxor: Quest for the Afterlife, Spronk and 4 Elements with others sometimes swapping with the top 5 games, depending on my mood for example Atlantis Quest, Around the world in 80 Days, Luxor 3, Sky Bubbles Deluxe and Bejewelled 3 Sadly hardly any of my top match threes are available from the free game sites apart from Treasures of Montezuma, Around the World in 80 Days and Sky Bubbles. None of the Puzzle match threes are avaialble either. (not checked Jenkat hames yet) :)

This game is legal free on the MyPlayCity...

http://www.myplaycity.com/treasures_of_montezuma/

..............................Moderator comment..............................

Technically it's not free. MyPlayCity and others such as Jenkat (where you can also get it free) are paid for by MtPlay City and other free sites. They pay the developers money for allowing us to download them. The consequences are that many end up[ installing toolbars or get their browsers redirects. Every time you visit the site they get paid money, some of which goes towards the free games you get. The advantage of downloading from the giveaway site is theres no strings (apart from the 24 hour limit on installing and if you reinstall windows, you lose the game. Then you can continue with the MPC or Jenkat games if you can't afford to buy the game.

This game tries to call home when you start it. If you deny it internet access, it will run without problems.

..............................Moderator comment..............................

I think you are mistaken George. The only time this game appears to phone home is when you are initially activating it. Once the game is activated you can play it whether you are offline or online. no outgoing info leaves your computer when you boot up the game.

Plays fine in Vista 32. Graphics are somewhat dated but, as you said, that's not too important in a game such as this. I didn't like that if you do not beat the timer you are bumped back to the start of that level and told to reconsider your upgrades and try again.

Only problem I had was some irritating distortion in the sound effects. A peek in the vol.cfg revealed some odd characters in section heads, was this game translated from another language?

One of the 4 best games ever given away on here, imho.
(Jets n Guns, Archibald's Adventures, Arctic Quest2,)
Certainly the best match 3. There aren't many games I will return to once I've completed them, today's is an exception.
My advice? Don't worry about looking for reviews etc.... Just download it.

Having lost this from an earlier computer I've been awaiting the return of Monty for years. Thank you GGAOTD.

On a different note. Last week's massive download game which showed a 2 week download countdown disappeared at the normal time. I imagine there were others, like me, who would have been waiting for the pressure to ease on the server, who have now missed it. Is there any chance it might be re-run?

...............................Moderator comment............................

Thank you for your feedback. W.r.t last weeks download and promise of a 14 day download. The giveaway team have previously never extended a giveaway for more than a day, so it was always suspect. I'd hoped that it was true so that everyone would have a chance to download and install the game, unfortunately it wasn't. The final download count for last weeks game was almost 100 000 downloads. Whether that was affected by the download managers I recommended using, IDK, even without using a download manager, the download numbers were far in excess of any other giveaway I've known since being able to see how many downloads there are, so that combined with the size of the download and the bandwidth limitations on the giveaway servers, there's no wonder some missed out on the game. Hopefully it will be repeated sometime in the not too distant future.

Seems like I just posted here that Treasures of Montezuma is one of my all-time favorites, and now here it is this week's giveaway! I like it way better than ToM2, which didn't let you decide which totems to buy when. And I haven't even bothered to try ToM3 or 4, which look good in the screenshots over at Alawar, but then so did ToM2. I don't know how many years I've had ToM1, but I still play it... often.

And I don't usually like timed games, so, for me to like this one this much, after all this time, you know it's gotta be good!

..........................Moderator Comment...........................

Thanks for your feedback Delilah, the first one is still the best one of the four that have been released IMO, unlike say Luxor, which until the sixth game Luxor: Fifth Passage (there's 7 not counting the HD versions in total) improved each new release. That one reverted to the originals format, which IMO was a retrograde and unwanted step depite the developer saying that it was done by popular request. Recently some of the older Luxor games have been released as HD versions. The seventh called Luxor Evolved was an interesting one with neon like graphics, but was disappointing in that there was only about 40 levels and often there was so many graphic effects occuring you couldn't make out any matches. IMO you really can't beat the first Treasures of Montezuma.

OK, unzipped, Clicked Set-up, Comes up with a Box saying "failed to connect please try later"???

...........................Moderator comment..............................

Hello Lennard, check the FAQ's thread over in the Game discussion forums sticky section:

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/11647

Thank you to the community members who offered their services with respect to tutoring my daugthter in French. Sorry I've not replied to those via email. My wife managed to sort it shortly after I posted the request.

I'm not going to be able to post a full review today. Intread I've posted a comment I made about the game back in 2007 that I think gives a flavour of this excellent match 3. Despite its age this is still one of my favorite Match 3 games. Apart from Zuma Deluxe and the latest Bejewelled 3 games (I've listed my top 5 match threes in a reply to Georges comment about this game not being anything special), you won't find a better match 3 IMO. Bejewelled 3 is still available for free from EA games via their client ORIGIN.

You do need to download the client and create an EA account before you can download the game, which is accessible via the Free Games button (click on it once you've installed the client and select on the house from the drop down menu). Once it's associated with your account it will be yours permanently. I know some community members do not like Origin, but I can say, after having Origin installed since its inception that it doesn't have any noticable impact on your computers system. EA games have for the past several months been giving away some top notch arcade and AAA games such as Battlefield 3, Dead Space, Plants vs Zombies, Peggle Deluxe, Star Wars the Old Republic, Wing commander III, The Sims 3 (with a couple of the dlc's) and Dragonage Origins.

You can see video of Treasures of Montezuma game play HERE




The following is a comment I made about this game back in 2007 (the last time it was given away) where I compared the game to Bejewelled 2 Deluxe:

In answer to one of the negative comments above (of which there are understandably very few) , Bejewelled 2 Deluxe was a great game to own a couple of years ago, but there are far better ‘clones’ of the match three gems game now. If I was told I had to spend an unspecified time on a desert island and only had enough time to download one game onto my laptop from a choice of ‘Bejewelled 2 Deluxe’ and ‘The Treasures of Montezuma’ before I had to leave, I’d definitely go for the latter without a doubt.

Yeah, the game mechanics is basically the same as Bejewelled, but the ability to upgrade the power totems you’ve earned in between levels, which can be earned by creating specific matches as well as updating them with additional multipliers to make them much more powerful (similar in concept to Sky Bubbles Deluxe which was given away back in 2007) makes today’s giveaway a much more attractive package with better ‘game play’ and is a lot more interesting than Bejewelled, besides the graphics, which I know are not the most important point with a game such as this, are still nonetheless far more attractive and for me at least make the game more enjoyable to look at. Bejewelled may have four game modes, but, apart from the puzzle mode, which I do like (Luxor 3 has a similar mode) the other three modes, Classic, Action and Endless are virtually the same. Montezuma , unlike Bejewelled, also has an awards system, which you can find in a lot of arcade games of this ilk these days, which (IMO) adds a little extra interest and is an incentive to continue playing the game instead of just swapping crystals around for an indeterminable amount of time without much else to gain from it.

Besides today’s game also has a storyline attached to it that adds even more interest to the game. All these extras are beautifully rendered with excellent art work and the music in my opinion is more listenable than Bejewelled, although the music for that game isn’t bad. There’s much more strategy involved to Montezuma as well, because to open up most of the totems you have to create specific combinations of matches, for example to gain the fire totem, you have to create two groups of red matches in a row; and instead of only two power ups possible in Bejewelled, which are very basic indeed and cannot be upgraded, (and therefore become a little boring after awhile), you get 15 different power totems with The Treasures of Montezuma, all of which can be upgraded between three to four times to make them even more powerful. At the end of every level you are awarded a star which can be added to any of the totems that are unlocked to increase their strength. For example adding a star to the TNT totem will add a greater area of destruction. This in conjunction with the frenzy mode that is unlocked by multiple combo’s can result in massive score bonus’s. Of the 15 totems available I had two available to upgrade, which were the TNT totem as well as a Gems multiplier, which enables more gems to be shown within tiles during a level (you have to collect a specific number of gems by including them in matches to end the level. If you run out of time you lose). Other totems I was able to see, but were not active yet were a time totem that increases the time the level lasts and a Score Frenzy totem, that boosts you score by collecting the sand that results from destroyed tiles. (This will become clearer when you see it in action….most gems contain a certain amount of sodium and potassium silicate, which is sand, so the animation is quite appropriate)

Today’s game has a much more interesting and exciting game play than Bejewelled, and more importantly has a lot more replayability. A puzzle mode would have been nice, but hey who’s complaining, I’m sure The Treasures of Montezuma 2 Deluxe release will include a puzzle mode as well as even more power totems; just like we saw with the development of Luxor from the original to the latest amazing Luxor 3 game.

This is certainly worth 8 out of 10 for its excellent game play, gorgeous graphics and replayability.

The options menu has the usual music and sound sliders as well as two quality toggles and a wide screen and full screen/window toggle. The help menu describes the basics of the game, but you will need to play the first level to see and appreciate the power totems I mention above. At the end of each level you are presented with a page where the totems are stored. Early in the game many of the totems cannot be seen, although there is a silhouette.

There is no installation process with this game. Instead you extract or unzip the game folder onto your computer. To start the game, go to the folder and click TheTreasuresofMontezuma.exe. When you are done with the game you may delete it from your computer. The game folder is 20.2 MB. If there is any chance that you don't already have this game, it is worth the download. I am not a great match 3 gamer but this one is well done. Thank you GGOTD team and Alawar Entertainment.

..........................Moderator Comment..............................

Thank you for your feedback dadams. :)