Jewel Quest Challenge for Facebook: Exclusive First Look!

iWin is bringing a new interpretation of its Jewel Quest game series to Facebook with Jewel Quest Challenge, where players still get the match-3 gameplay they enjoy but can compete with and against their Facebook friends. Given the advent of Jewel Quest's competitors such at PopCap's Bejeweled Blitz, the Facebook audience is ripe for something new.

Making its worldwide debut on Facebook today, Games.com talked with Nathan Fahrenthold, the game's Senior Producer, about what fans of the original 2003 game can expect and why Jewel Quest Challenge is better than Bejeweled Blitz.

What will players of the Jewel Quest series find familiar about Jewel Quest Challenge?
[Nathan Fahrenthold] It's got great art, the famous Silver Mode [a bonus mode awarded to players who turn the board gold before the timer ends], and a more strategic match 3 game.

Bejeweled Blitz is making waves with the familiar 3-match puzzle style, how is Jewel Quest Challenge better?
[Fahrenthold] We are different from Bejeweled Blitz in a number of ways. Jewel Quest Challenge is more strategic in that it forces the player to think a few moves ahead. So it's less like a slot machine. Also, we offer Challenges, which allow players to compete head-to-head with one another. And finally, our game offers different boards for each level instead of the same board over and over again.