• December 10, 2008

PopCap Games said Tuesday it will begin offering Bejeweled Twist on a variety of handsets in North American and Europe between April and July 2009.

The Seattle-based casual game publisher said the game, the fourth PopCap title for mobile, has new features and four modes--Classic, Blitz, Challenge and Zen--that offer vastly different ways to experience the game.

Rather than swapping adjacent jewels to make a set, for example, players of Bejeweled Twist can rotate an entire block of gems clockwise in an effort to create a line of three or more identical gems. Players can rotate pieces freely anywhere on the board because there is no longer a need to match gems with every move. New gem types include Flame, Lightning and Fruit, which produces fiery explosions and other powerful effects.--Laurie Sullivan