Jewel-matching games have sure come a long way, haven't they? We used to be satisfied with a grid and maybe a cool background decorated in some space theme, but now we need stories and characters and exotic locations.There's nothing in Lamp of Aladdin HD that really changes the nature of the beast when it comes to Match-3 gameplay, but we do appreciate the variety. In fact, we wish there was even more of it here. Seeing wave after wave of jewels is a good formula for ultra-relaxation, and Lamp of Aladdin HD includes a wandering Aladdin, who you'll help navigate the ideal path through each level by clearing jewels. At first, this makes things feel fresh, almost like a bit of platforming fell into the Bejeweled formula. There are even some hidden-object challenges at the end of each stage, and cut-scenes done in a friendly, hand-drawn animation style, that advance the story between stages. In keeping with tradition, Lamp of Aladdin HD builds in lots of exotic music, neat-o sound effects when you trigger events, and decent voice acting for special moments like the game's intermittent, animated story-transitions. The bottom line is that Lamp of Aladdin HD manages to be endearing with a pastiche of hidden-object and Match-3 conventions, wrapped in some slick production and fine artwork. You can't really appreciate how much is going on from the screenshots, but suffice it to say that the screen is filled to the brim with gadgety goodness. We liked how there are real characters in the mix, rather than just the faceless jewel-matching. Not that there's anything wrong with matching jewels, but we've seen it done and redone so many times at this point, we need something new...

This isn't exactly the Aladdin story we all know from books and movies, based on all this running around Aladdin has to do, breaking jewels and building things. His job seems to revolve around piecing together parts to various vehicles that can transport him to the next stage, after levels of jewel-breaking action. The Genie is here, but more as a support system and on-call lifeline than any major character. You'll start off with some very straightforward matching sequences, where matching three jewels clears a path for Aladdin to progress through the level. There are colored gems and gold pieces, and you'll also find prized objects upon reaching the end of a path. Other special objects help you traverse gaps that take you to other paths, leading up to a point where you finish the level. As the game progresses, you'll also find powerful items installed in each level that can help when you get stuck. These include a hammer, a bomb, and a Genie-inspired whirlwind that mixes and replaces blocks on the board. Lamp of Aladdin HD allows you to create multiple profiles, so several people in a household can play, each at his own level. The game has good breadth in the sense that you'll get lots of play-time, but there's not enough depth to achieve what we think were the goals here, to break out of a standard Match-3 genre. With more variety - extra hidden-object challenges, perhaps - we'd have felt the draw to return and play this for some reason other than killing idle moments.

Lamp of Aladdin HD allows you to choose whether you'll play in Timed or Relaxed mode, as a lead-in to setting up your profile. We couldn't see any option to change this setting throughout the game, which would have been nice. Because the creators of Lamp of Aladdin HD were intent on crafting a story/adventure setting, the game doesn't let you veer off the path at any point, other than selecting previously played levels. The addition of a quick-play option, or at least the ability to dial the difficulty settings during play, would have expanded the range of options for players. As things stand, Lamp of Aladdin HD feels like a good balance of relaxing Match-3 gameplay with some more challenging segments that often force you to use special objects. These challenges largely boil down to blocks you can't manipulate because they're trapped or frozen in some way that requires several matches to free them, then more matches to remove them. The clever player learns to save his special items for use in these situations, because the alternative is a lot of waiting and matching along the periphery of these "stuck" blocks, waiting for just the right combination to arrive. This does create some tedium for players, at times. Where Lamp of Aladdin HD really shines is in its hidden-object levels, that are too few and far between. These levels showed good design, some puzzle-solving mechanics, and come bundled with a hint feature in case you get stuck.

The great thing about playing Match-3 games on a platform with a touch interface is the ability to swipe rather than just tapping two gems you'd like to swap. It feels incredibly natural to touch and slide the finger when you move gems around, and Lamp of Aladdin HD does a very nice job working with the interface to make things run smoothly. The sensitivity was set very high, which may be a function of the iPad settings, more than anything in the game. The result is a few false positives, when you trigger an unintended jewel switch. It didn't happen often, but it can be especially annoying when you're attempting to set up the perfect combo around a section of stuck jewels... Other mechanics, like touching and dragging powerful earned items into the field, seemed smoothly implemented as well. Much like the good design and attention to detail we mentioned earlier, Lamp of Aladdin HD feels like a quality production right out of the gate. With the proliferation of budget games in Apple's App Store, it can be difficult to separate quality games from the pack. While we can quibble over the need for more innovation and diversity in Lamp of Aladdin HD, it does a fine job of bundling Match-3 and Hidden-Object gameplay in a well designed package that will keep you occupied over a holiday weekend or long trip. If only for the quality Match-3 action, this is one for fans of that genre to seek out.