What is the difference between Jewel and Jewel 2?
For more information about the differences between the two games, check out this article.
What do each of the Jewels do?
Microsoft Jewel 2 contains four types of jewels.
- Basic Jewels
- Power-Up Jewels
- Rocks
- Bonus Jewels
Basic jewels function just like jewels in Microsoft Jewel. By matching at least 3 standard jewels, you can progress through the levels and create Powered Up jewels.
Diamonds are a basic jewel that appears at higher levels of the game. They differ from basic jewels in that they are worth 150x more points.
Power-Up Jewels are jewels with special abilities that you can use to clear more of the board including clearing rocks that might be in your way. You can find more information about the unique Power-Up Jewels and their abilities below.
Rocks fall onto the board and get in your way of making matches. They don’t match like other Jewels; you must use a Power-Up to clear it. Clearing a Rock is a great way to increase your high score. Bonus Jewels cannot replace rocks on the board.
Bonus Jewels are jewels you earn by completing the distinct challenges on the left side of the screen. When you match the number of jewels called out in the challenges, it will reward you with a jewel of that color to use as you please.
You can drag bonus jewels to replace other jewels on the board at any time, or to fill gaps in Challenge Mode to help you clear the board at the end of the level. If you fill up your Bonus Jewel box, new jewels will not be added when you complete challenges. However, as you progress through the game, challenges will become harder to complete. So be smart with how and when you use your Bonus Jewels.
What do each of the Special Jewels do?
Microsoft Jewel 2 contains three types of Power-Up Jewels.
- Bomb Jewels - Matching 4 Jewels in a row will create a bomb. Once you match the Bomb Jewel with at least 2 of its own color, it will explode and remove all surrounding Jewels around it. This includes Standard, Power-Up, and Bonus Jewels.
- Line Clear Jewels - Making a T or L shaped match with 5 similar colored Jewels will create a Line Clear Jewel. Once matched with 2 (or more) of its own color, it will remove an entire horizontal and vertical line of Jewels from the board. This includes Standard, Power-Up, and Bonus Jewels.
- Power Jewel - When you match 5 jewels of the same color in a row, it will create a Power Jewel. Matching the Power Jewel with any other Jewel on the board, it will remove that Jewel and any other similar Jewel of the same color from the board.
You can additionally match 2 Power Jewels to clear the entire board, OR, you can match a Power Jewel to a Rock to remove all blocking Rocks from the board.
Can I replace anything on the board with Bonus Jewels?
Bonus Jewels can replace any jewel within the game board, but they cannot replace Rocks.
What is Challenge Mode?
New to Microsoft Jewel 2, once the Level Meter is full and the board settles, the game enters Challenge Mode.
In Challenge Mode, you must clear a set number of Jewels from the board to continue playing. If not, the game is over. Clearing the required number of Jewels in Challenge Mode allows you to keep playing and earn extra points by clearing more Jewels.
In this mode, when you remove Jewels from the board, no new Jewels will fall into the board and fill it up. You will see points in the space. These points are rewarded to you when you complete Challenge Mode.
If a Bonus Jewel is placed on the board, it will drop until it reaches a Jewel or the bottom of the board. With every 5th Jewel removed from the board, the Multi-Meter increases. The more jewels removed, the larger the Multi-Meter increases (from 1 to 500). This multiplies your score by the final Meter amount at the end of the level.
What is Bonus Mode?
If you complete Challenge mode, the game will enter Bonus Mode. Bonus Mode allows you to match jewels and Bonus Jewels for extra points or proceed to the next level.
The Challenge Meter will now show a “NEXT LEVEL” button. Clicking this button will trigger the following:
- All the board points will be totaled and multiplied by the current Multi-Meter value, then add it to the player’s current score.
- Drop in new Jewels to fill the board.
- Move you to the next level.
You can also keep matching and increase the Multi-Meter to increase your bonus and attempt to clear the board.
The board can be cleared in two ways:
- Power Clear – By swapping 2 adjacent Power Jewels on the board, you will clear all the Jewels from the board.
- You will only get points from the board for any open spaces that were cleared by matches.
- Natural Clear - If you can clear all the Jewels without swapping 2 Power Jewels, you will earn all the points on the board plus a bonus amount for the Power Jewels.
- You can use as many Power Jewels as you want, as long as you swap them with Jewels or Rocks.
- Using a Power Jewel to clear Rocks will allow you to earn more points by unblocking the spaces previously occupied by a Rock.
Clearing the board will end the level, reward all your points, and advance you to the next level.