Games such as this one are often labeled puzzle games but in Zuma you're often shooting multiple balls per second, so it's got plenty of action. It's really fast-paced and you're constantly making combo's and scoring bonuses. Usually I'm not a huge fan of these 'match 3' type of games (in which you need to match 3 or more objects of a similar color or shape to make them disappear) but somehow I found Zuma Deluxe incredibly addictive. Anyway, for me it was the first time I played such a game and Zuma was the game that made the whole Puzzle Loop idea popular. I always used to think that the concept of Zuma was original, until reading Scierce's trivia (see trivia section) made me realize it is somewhat of a clone itself. The controls are simple: use your mouse to spin the frog around to aim, the left mouse-button to shoot and the right mouse-button to switch between the frog's current ball and the next one. Just like Bust-A-Move, Zuma is really easy to get into (but eventually becomes pretty difficult). However this time the balls don't come down from the ceiling but they roll along a winding track towards a skull-shaped exit and it's your job to prevent them from reaching that exit. You still try to clear large numbers of colored balls by shooting other balls at them and making groups of three or more balls of the same color. Zuma Deluxe is a clever take on good old Bust-A-Move. Gauntlet Mode also offers 4 (four) additional play modes: Random, Spesific, Practice, and Survival. Levels used in this mode must first be unlocked from the Adventure Mode. The player must work the player's level up from Rabbit to Sun God. In this 'campaign mode', temples that have been defeated may be skipped by the player when the player continues the game via save game. The player must battle through multiple temples to find the secrets of the Zuma. The game offers two different play modes: Fortunately, the player has up to four lives, a rarity in many puzzle games. Part of the track may block others so that if the track is filled with balls, the ones behind some may be unreachable. The catch is that each track is shaped differently. Using the mouse to rotate the frog and clicking to fire, the player needs to create rows of three or more of the same color balls to eliminate them. Balls roll down a track towards this skull and the player-controlled frog-shaped idol must shoot balls toward them to stop them, earning points. The goal: eliminate all the balls before they reach the skull. Zuma Deluxe is an Aztec-themed action puzzler.

Zuma deluxe