A match-three gem game with cascades and bombs

Gem Swap is the match-three game in Games by Zaweba, and cascades are a big part of it. Swap two neighbouring gems to make a line of three or more, watch them vanish and the gems above fall into the gap, and sometimes set off chains worth far more. It's free and offline, with no adverts and nothing to buy.

Many match-three games are built around selling extra moves. This one isn't. You just play, aim for the target score, and try again if you miss.

How Gem Swap plays

Swap two neighbouring gems to make a line of three or more of the same colour. They vanish, and the gems above fall to fill the gap. If the falling gems make new lines, those clear too, setting off cascades that are worth more.

Line up four gems and you make a line gem, which clears its whole row or column when it goes. Line up five and you make a colour bomb: swap it with any gem to clear every gem of that colour from the board. Reach the target score before the time or the moves run out.

To play, click a gem and then a neighbour, or drag a gem towards its neighbour. H gives a hint. Gem Swap is on the Puzzles shelf of Games by Zaweba.

Setting off bigger cascades

Work from the bottom. Matches near the bottom of the board move more gems when they clear, so they're more likely to start a cascade. Matches at the top only shuffle a few gems.

Look for fours and fives. A plain three scores, but a line gem or a colour bomb can clear far more. Before taking the first match you see, scan for a move that makes four or five in a row.

Save your special gems. A colour bomb is most useful when the board has plenty of one colour. Swapping it with the most common colour clears the most gems and often starts a big cascade as everything falls.

Combine specials. When a line gem and a colour bomb are close to each other, think about how to use them together. Clearing a row, then a colour, can wipe out a large part of the board.

Use the hint when you're stuck, but try to find moves yourself first. Seeing patterns is the skill the game is training.

Beating the target

You have to reach the target score before the time or the moves run out, so keep an eye on both. Quick matches keep the score climbing, but every swap still counts, so it pays to choose each one for the biggest effect rather than taking the first line you see.

Games by Zaweba keeps your best score for each game and mode, along with plays and wins. The result card at the end shows your score next to your best, and the records are stored in a file on your own PC.

Breaks and other puzzles

Esc pauses whenever you need it, and the game also pauses itself when you click into another window. F11 fills the screen, which makes the gems bigger and the cascades more fun to watch.

If you like Gem Swap, try Block Clear, where you pop groups of coloured blocks and plan for the big ones, or Merge Tiles, which slides numbered tiles together to build ever bigger numbers. Both are on the Puzzles shelf.