Wonders of Egypt Match

Wonders of Egypt Match runs a gem-and-artifact board through pyramids, temples and obelisks, with a guide named Amara leading the route. The pieces mix plain gems with themed artifacts, which is a sensible compromise: enough ornament to carry the setting, enough plain colour to keep the grid readable.

The structure is excavation. Levels uncover treasures and secrets buried in the monuments, so progress is framed as digging down rather than moving along. It suits the setting and it gives the chapters a natural shape.

What the game does not have is a second system. There is no pass, no competitive mode and no event calendar — the route and the levels are the whole of it. Against the busier games on this shelf that reads as either clean or sparse depending on your appetite for menus.

1. Swap two adjacent gems or artifacts to line up three or more.
2. Clear the level goal to uncover the next part of the monument.
3. Build longer lines for pieces that clear a wider area.
4. Follow Amara's route through pyramids, temples and obelisks.

Mixed boards of gems and artifacts are hardest to read where the two overlap in colour. When you stall, look for the artifact shapes first — there are fewer of them and they anchor the grid.