I have played this game before. Many times before. It was called something else, and the clones were called yet even more different names. They all had the same situation, though the appearance would vary depending on the theme. The first time I played this type of game, it was associated with a certain large Web site. It came with a payload of annoying “reminders” of exciting products you could have. Aside from that, it was great then, but even better now. Why buy something that’s “old” and available for free? Because it’s worth it. Atlantis Quest takes the good aspects of the historical inspirations and adds some more flash to increase the overall appeal.

The first time I played “this” game, the name was associated with “Jewels.” The board was full of various gems on squares similar to the look of a chessboard. The rubies and emeralds sparkle as you move a stone to make rows of three like jewels. When three are in sequence, they vanish and the surrounding gems move into the empty space in the same manner that a row is cleared in a hardy game of Tetris. It is, in essence, a take-off of the legendary masterpiece as the goal is to clear the board by strategy and making the maximum bang for your moves. Whereas other games like this used jewels and such articles, this one is set against the backdrop of Ancient Egypt — with History lessons along the way (using historical factoids while new levels load). The intention is to increase the reward for clearing a board — as doing so progresses you further into the various lands depicted, here.  Did you know that Tennessee isn’t the only place to find a city called Memphis? Sure — you can also make your way through other points on the map such as Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon and Hurghada. Keeping in the theme, the pieces you have to shuffle about resemble ancient relics from that area.

In comparison to the older previously mentioned versions of this game, this one takes it - and increases the drive to succeed. There are bonuses, “power-ups” and other such familiar incentives to make you want to return time after time. Using the right moves, you can win a useful mallet, shovel, hourglass or cash. Most of those come in handy, and it’s almost mandatory to use at least some of them at some point. They are great for emergency situations where your clock is about to run out, but you have a pesky locked piece blocking your success. Steal some more time, break some pieces or use magic to alter their locations, and you can propel yourself to higher levels with minimal angst. This game, unlike the older ancestor games, requires you to think much more, as well as plan moves way in advance. In the very early stages, it may seem childishly simple, but after playing it a while, you wish you could go back and play those boards again. If you do not rush through those easy, early levels, you can rack up some points, which gives you more lives and other benefits to sow in later levels. It reminded me of finishing a Mario game — only to find out that I could have gotten free lives/tools here and there — if I had slowed down and explored a bit more. Little tricks like this make it a more enriching experience.

The sounds are simple yet elegant. There are some “odd” sounds in the music and environments. Nothing distracting, but the tunes are nothing you’d hear in the America’s Top 40 play list. I turned the music down, but kept the effects UP. If you are knee-deep in the game, you will forget to check your timer and get burned without the warning “Ding!”. So, it’s worth putting up with the clicking and chiming of moving icons — just to have the warning sounds in the final minute of play.

The graphics are strong, but the game does not require much in that area. It is, at its core, a board game. The pieces are sparkling and easy to recognize, but you won’t tax your video card as it processes zillions of bits of data. Even the maps and related level-transitions are subtle and focus more on content than flash. That’s a pleasant change!

I found it to be fun. Addictive, repeat-play kind of fun. Sure … the look and concept are older and can be traced as far back as “Othello” and other inspirations. Yet, they built on it and made it a bit more fun—without pretending to hide the main skeleton of the game. I wanted to play it for what I thought it was (a knock-off of the old game online), but what I got was much more engaging and enjoyable. I let someone play it and they became addicted the same way—playing what you think is the same old thing, but getting hooked on what makes it different and stand out. There are no cheap gimmicks like “hidden games”…. just a low-tech, attractive game with simple goals and a short learning curve. You can’t teach strategy in this game, but after playing it long enough, it dawns on you that you could do more—here and there.

Gameplay: 8.5
The amount of time to learn the game’s goals and rules is minor. That leaves you more time to jump right in and start playing. I think such a thing is rare these days. It is deceptively simple to play, yet engrossing enough to make you think about it in your sleep. I seriously will not play the game within a few hours of bedtime. I recall the old days of Rubik’s cube and Tetris — and the sleep I lost from not being able to “unplug” myself from playing 24/7. 

Graphics: 6.0 
It’s built for substance, not style. They could have bogged the game down with snazzy videos between levels and animated pieces, but they chose to focus on making an easy-to-see board with pieces that stand out and don’t make you squint to know what is what. Even when playing in a smaller window, it remains clear and easy to see.  

Sound: 7.5
The music is a subtle background accessory that enhances the play-time without being distracting. It actually helps cool your nerves when things start coming down to the wire. The music seems to change as your progress—keeping you mellow when you might otherwise want to bounce off the walls as you watch the timer run out of steam. Though I turned it down, the music (and pleasant vocals) did not irritate me as many games like this do. The effects sound is more crucial, and can be the difference to finishing a board or not knowing your time is up because you didn’t hear the alarm-chime. The effects sound is crucial unless you can condition yourself to watch the board and the timer below. I’m just not that good!! The game envelopes you and you don’t want to blink — much less multi-task yourself — visually.

Difficulty: Medium
Despite the way the game’s difficulty increases as you progress, it does not get unreasonably hard. You may spend the full amount of minutes playing a board — and still not finish — only to play it on the restart of that screen and finish it in a fraction of the time. It alls comes down to planning and learning the objective. The boards change so they are not always square, nor predictable. Unlike Tetris, although it gets more tense and complex as you progress, it does not punish you by making the timer go unreasonably fast — like when the Tetris pieces come down like rain and you get a cramp trying to shuffle them into position. This game maintains a solid pressure without being unfair. 

Concept: 6.0
I first saw this game (in another form) more than five years ago. I became hooked on it then, but not like the new rendition. The setup and objective is not new. The graphics even look like clones. However, they added some educational elements and made it more like a RPG. No, it is not like Link or some grand quest game, but it has a mission that is bigger than just playing some boards. It envelopes you and makes you want to keep coming back. The boards alter and become trickier to keep it fresh and challenging. But, at its core, it is still a modified game built on the back of a game that is familiar to anyone that has spent a while on various online gaming sites.   

Overall: 8.0
It is not a stretch to say this is one of my favorite all-time games. Even a few years ago when I played it, I got hooked. Now, it has been altered enough to keep the replay factor without making it something it is not. They don’t take the shortcut and make it a gimmick game or something that makes you cringe. It is like experiencing the rare occurrence of seeing a movie sequel that is as good, or better, than the original. The look and feel is comfortably familiar, yet fresh and addictively fun. Once you learn how to better play the board and not try to finish it too quickly, it makes you enjoy it even more. Depending on how you attack the game. Maybe you want to draw it out and rack up points and gather power-ups. Or, get bonus points from having a lot of time left. After a while, you find that the boards can be attacked from many angles. The goal is always to get certain pieces to drop off the board from clearing your rows, but there is enough twist to make that not as simple as it sounds. The replay factor is beyond strong, and you find yourself envisioning the boards and pieces throughout your daily routine. The initial reaction may be to dismiss it based on the looks and feeling that is nothing new. Why pay for something you can download or play online for free? Because — it is a value beyond similar games. There is no Adware or annoying ads for soft drinks as you play. Just a clean board and no risk of a server glitch making you lose a game that you have spent hours Mastering. For me, the hardest thing about doing the review was taking enough time to stop playing long enough to write about it. That being said, I now have to get back to playing it….