Recently, I had the opportunity to review several games from Astraware (Ultimate Bowling Fighter, Sudoku, Rook’s Revenge, and Insaniquarium, to name a few).  Without exception, every Astraware game I reviewed defied convention in a unique way, and displayed exquisite graphics.  With this reputation in mind, I set out to review Astraware’s latest offering, Glyph.  And I must say, I was not disappointed.  You often hear this phrase associated with puzzle games, "easy to learn, difficult to master."  Although this is a vastly overused cliche, it could not be more appropriate for Glyph.

Installation and Registration: Download the game and install it on your Pocket PC via Activesync.  Without registering, you can start a new game up to 10 times before the trial expires.  During this trial period, however, you are also limited to only playing certain levels.  Register the game to unlock all of the levels and both modes of play.

Graphics: I almost start to feel like I am repeating myself when I talk about Astraware’s graphics.  The graphics in Glyph are absolutely exquisite.  With intricately drawn backgrounds in five different worlds, the graphics in this game go well above and beyond what was necessary to make the game playable and enjoyable.  In fact, if you look closely, you will notice that each gemstone color is a different shape and has a different pattern printed on it.  This is the kind of attention to detail which makes Astraware games so popular to all Pocket PC users. 

The Story: The world of Kuros is dying, and it can only be saved by reassembling five ancient elemental glyphs. Dig through layers of rock and glistening stones to uncover the pieces of each Glyph.  Once you have uncovered enough pieces, you can reassemble a section of the Glyph.  Uncover and assemble all of the sections of all five glyphs to save the dying world.

Gameplay: This is the type of color-matching game upon which Astraware has built its reputation.  Clear away groups of like colored gemstones (a group must consist of three or more gemstones) to clear the board.  There are two basic modes of play: Quest and Action Mode.  But, don’t say I never warned you.  Once you get involved with the fast-paced gameplay and incredible graphics, you won’t be able to stop playing.

One feature I loved is the Resume Game.  When you click the Play button, it give you the option of Resuming a Quest, Resuming an Action, Starting a New Quest, or Starting a New Action.  Resuming will pick up your game exactly where it left off.  The ability to stop and resume the game like this is a welcome feature which has now become indispensable.

Quest Mode: Quest Mode is the main mode of play in Glyph.  Here, you must save the dying planet of Kuros by uncovering all of the pieces of the ancient Glyphs.  Each Glyph, however, has been divided into several sections and each section has been divided into many pieces.  In all, there are 125 different pieces of five Glyphs which must be uncovered.

The Glyphs are buried deep within the ground, covered in rock and gemstones.  Dig through the rock by clearing groups of like colored stones.  Each time you clear a stone, the rock foundation beneath it is weakened.  Clear enough stones and you will break through the rock, revealing a portion of the Glyph piece hidden below.  Uncover the entire piece of Glyph hidden in the rock and you will advance to the next level.  Once you have uncovered all four pieces to a particular glyph section, you must solve one final puzzle (shown below) to assemble the section and fit it into the Glyph.

Watch the timer in the upper left hand corner, though, because when the timer runs out, you will lose a life.  Add more time to the timer by clearing a matched group of gemstones. 

Action Mode: Action Mode allows you to enjoy all of the color-clearing fun of Glyph, without worrying about the complicated backstory, saving the world of Kuros, or uncovering pieces of Glyph.  In Action Mode, your only objective is to clear away groups of three or more like-colored gemstones and stay alive until the end of the round.  Periodically (there is a timer in the upper left hand corner) a new row of gemstones will appear from the bottom (in some of the more complicated rounds, the new row may fall from the top).  If you get stuck at any time before the timer runs out, you can also push the red button to call the next row of gemstones.  Once a predetermined number of rows has been played (of course the number of rows increases as the game progresses), the round will be cleared.

Artifacts: Artifacts are special stones which can help you along the way to finding Glyphs.  When you find one in Quest Mode, you can use it right away or you can save it and allow it to build power.  The more power it builds, the more stones will be affected when you use it.

Various artifacts scattered throughout the game can have different effects on the gemstones.  Some may destroy a group, row, or column of stones.  Others may change the colors of certain stones, or rearrange all of the stones on the board.  Additionally, chroma bombs which can be found scattered throughout the game will destroy all of the gemstones of a particular color or in a particular location.  Some artifacts appear only in one mode or the other, while other artifacts may behave differently in the two modes.

Conclusion: Well, Astraware has done it again.  Their latest release, Glyph, is a roaring success.  From its beautifully drawn graphics, to its fascinating and addictive gameplay, this game was definitely "love at first sight" (or at least first play).  I enjoyed learning the mysteries of the Glyphs and the dying planet, Kuros as I progressed through the various worlds and levels of Quest Mode.  At the same time, it was just as much fun to sit back, forget about the intricate details of the story and just clear away the stones in Action Mode.  Regardless of which mode you select, Glyph offers a fun, fast-paced game which will keep you entranced by its stunning graphics and quick gameplay from the first moment you pick it up.  

Vital Statistics:

Name: Astraware Glyph

Version: 1.0

Developer: Astraware with Sandlot Games

Available From:    Astraware Games

                             JAMM Store

Price: $19.95

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