I understood why they were great time-killers, but I personally didn’t find them to have the addictiveness of a Peggle or the depth of a Bookworm Adventures. I didn’t love either of its two predecessors. To be honest, I wasn’t terribly enthusiastic about playing Bejeweled Twist. It is, simply put, a monster of a game, even if it is “just” a casual title. Few games short of Tetris have achieved the kind of saturation into the mass consciousness that Bejeweled has. It’s on practically every gaming platform possible, and has even been integrated into in World of Warcraft. From its humble beginnings as Diamond Mine, it has gone on to sell millions of units, and accounts for 40% of PopCap’s earnings. Take a moment to consider the gaming force of nature that is Bejeweled.

But this was no ordinary game being released, this was Bejeweled Twist. If new casual games are announced at all, it’s with a press release or a website banner, not a full-blown party with actors, spotlights, and lithe young acrobats. I’ve attended my fair share of launch parties for videogames, but I was still surprised when casual game publisher PopCap invited me to the shindig celebrating the release of its newest offering.

Bejeweled twist fruit gem