Puzzle Detective

Bust an international crime ring and recover stolen diamonds in this brain-bending puzzler that's full of crime-fighting fun! Swap items to make groups of 3 or more and reveal clues. Then use the clues to catch the suspect.
Featuring loads of challenging levels, an original storyline starring crazy characters, and gorgeous full-screen graphics, Puzzle Detective is a globe-trotting mystery for puzzle players everywhere.

An Inquisitive Look into Match Three
There's no denying the fact that there is an abundance of "match three" style casual games for you to choose from. Some provide you with flashy graphics and other come with inventive stories, and while Puzzle Detective easily comes through with flying colors on both those fronts, what really sets this title apart is that the gameplay is actually different than the rest of the crowd.

At its core, you are still given the task of sifting through an increasingly complex grid of icons, swapping adjacent pieces to create matching rows or columns of three (or more), but unlike other games, you have a very specific purpose here. Similar to Jewel Quest in some ways, each time you successfully create a match, the tile sitting underneath the game pieces changes color. Unmatched tiles remain a light blue, whereas matched tiles either turn white or gold. You want the gold and I'll tell you why.

Collecting Clues, Solving Puzzles
The Smithsonian Diamonds Collection has been stolen and you have been given the assignment of recovering them all, one by one. This is because it wasn't just one thief that got his or her hands on these priceless treasures; there were several. You work at this monumental issue one item at a time, looking for the Marie Antoinette Earrings, for example.

For each stage, you'll want to swap adjacent objects to form those matching rows and columns. If the tile underneath turns gold, you'll know that there is a clue hidden under there. To completely reveal the clue -- there are usually three to six clues per level -- you must turn to gold all the tiles above it. Some of these clues, like books, are 2x2 grids. Other items may be 1x3, 2x3, 3x3 or any other size.

International Affair
Your quest to recover the lost gems and jewels will take you on a journey through all of the continents. Okay, you won't visit Antarctica, but you will have the opportunity to soak in the sights and sounds of Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Rome, Rio de Janeiro, and several other exotic locations. Remember, though, that you are not on vacation. There's a job to be done, even if the beautiful cel-shaded, webcomic-style graphics are a great to gawk at.

After collecting the required number of clues, you may have to determine where is the next locale you must visit. This part of the game gave me a nostalgic feeling, casting me back to the days of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. A clue might be a Spanish dictionary, making Barcelona the most suitable choice, for example.

Catching the Bad Guys
This is your ultimate goal, of course. Like determining your next destination, you must piece the clues together and narrow down the suspects based on these findings. The clues might help you figure out the thief's sex, nationality, hobby, and food preference. Bring these all together and you'll lock up the criminal for good.

Because of this extra segment, Puzzle Detective offers a lot more enjoyment than other similarly styled match three offerings. You really have to use your noggin, gaining information from the clues to best determine the most likely suspect. It's great fun, it's great to look at, and you might learn a thing or two along the way too.

System Requirements:
* 256 MB RAM
* Windows Vista/XP/2000
* DirectX 8.1
* Free hard drive space: 45 MB

Homepage:

http://www.spintop-games.com/puzzle_game_download/puzzle_detective.html

Screenshots: