'7 Wonders' not quite a jewel

Game Title: "7 Wonders of the Ancient World"

Platform: PSP

Studio: Mumbo Jumbo

E-for Everyone

Rating: 5/10

THE CORPORATE LINE:

"7 Wonders of the Ancient World" lets gamers explore ancient lands through three modes of play — Story, Free Play, and Rune Quest — that cover more than 140 levels and three modes of difficulty. Collect eye-popping power-ups like the Lightning Bolt or Fire Bomb to help you in your race against the clock, and learn about history while having fun! — Provided by Mumbo Jumbo

THE REVIEW

GAMEPLAY: What is the most sincere form of flattery? If you play "7 Wonders of the Ancient World" you'll know the answer. "7 Wonders" borrows liberally from "Bejeweled" and "Jewel Quest." "7 Wonders of the Ancient World" has a few subtle differences from its predecessors such as a few Lemming like workers and a couple wonders of the world thrown in for scenery.

The game is simple enough. Your goal is to match three or more colored runes (a magical coin) and make them disappear. When the runes disappear more fall in to take their place. On and on you go until you help build one of the wonders of the world. The wonders are built with a cornerstone or capstone which falls throughout the pattern of runes. You must clear the runes below the cornerstone or capstone until they reach the ground level where your little workers grab them and build the wonder.

There are three bonus power-ups that allow you to clear different levels of runes. One power-up clears a horizontal line of runes, another clears both vertical and horizontal, and finally another will clear a random batch of runes across the board. I found it best to clear all the matches first before using the power-ups; however, that strategy doesn't always work when you're trying to beat the clock.

GRAPHICS: Outside of the runes and the wonders of the world as backdrops there is nothing much to look at. "Lumines" proved it's not important to create all sorts of visual eye candy to be compelled and it's too bad that "7 Wonders" doesn't make up enough ground in game play to overcome its lack of interesting visuals. The only addition in "7 Wonders" is the workers building the monuments. Outside of that you'll spend most of your time staring at the runes — the way it should be.

AUDIO: You won't even notice the atmospheric music. As well it should be.

THE WRAP-UP

THE PARENT'S TAKE: "7 Wonders of the Ancient World" seems to shine when it comes to keeping kid's interest. Another bonus for kids comes when a correct match can't be found a little arrow points to a rune to help with the next move. This is perfect for kids learning the game or who may get stuck.