JigJag

Brief Description of JigJag

Jigjag is a simple, fun and unusual puzzle game. There is a game board, with pieces on it. The pieces combine to make different pictures. When a picture has been completed, it is animated off the board with special sound effects.

Game play and hints

The game has three modes of play; strategy, action and puzzle. Strategy games see new pieces appearing after a certain number of moves. Action games have new piece appearing after a set time. For both of these, as you go up in level, you get a larger variety of pictures. Which makes it increasingly difficult to complete. Both also allow you to select category of pictures (animals, travel, sports, to name a few) as a base for the game. Your best scores are stored along with the date and time the game was played plus the highest level you reached.

Puzzle games are different in that they are set with all the pieces you need on the board. They come in sets and the menu makes it very easy to tell what you have done and what you haven't. There are also three levels of solving a puzzle. Green means you have completed it. Silver means you completed it within a certain number of moves. Gold solutions means you completed it within even fewer moves. Your best results are recorded for each puzzle, along with the time and date of the game.

So far, I've managed to solve the first set of puzzles to silver or gold level. But many others I haven't solved at all or only to the green level. When you complete a set of puzzles, you get some fanfare. When I went back and finished all of puzzle set one to silver, I was congratulated on my accomplishment for that.

There are a few important strategies to this game. Pieces automatically snap together when next to the correct piece. This can lead to unsolvable games if the pieces snap together in the wrong spot or in the wrong combination. So plan your moves to prevent pieces from combining until they reach the correct spot. The other thing to watch for is minimizing moves. If you can move three pieces in one direction with one push, that counts as one move. So move the pieces in groups when you can.

The Gold version of the game includes a puzzle editor which allows you to create your own puzzles. You can tailor the layout, which pictures to use and even try the puzzle.

Gripes about JigJag

At the time of writing, the help system could use more depth. The game author has promised that this is on his to-do list. Also there are no guides to the shapes you need to make. So the first time some items appear, it may take some effort to work out which pieces go together and how.

Conclusion for JigJag

JigJag is perfect for the puzzle fiends you know. You'll find yourself or your favourite puzzle fiend first solving all the puzzles, then trying again for silver or gold solutions. The arcade and strategy games are good for a bit of less brain taxing relaxation. The site contains a demo version, downloadable extensions to the game and ordering details.

Some final thoughts on the game.

Like Snood, this is a simple game concept that provides hours of entertainment.

The game can be expanded by downloading new components from the web site or by exchanging puzzle games with family and friends.