Astraware has announced the release of Astraware Sudoku on the Mac App Store. The game has been enhanced with new graphics for the Mac and a background that changes as the day goes by.

Astaware Sudoku contains a puzzle generator that is capable of generating billions of different puzzles at different levels. The game also contains hints if the player gets stuck and allows the players to make manual or automatic pencil marks. The pencil marks can help figure out how to solve the puzzle. Players have the ability to download the puzzle of the day, too. Each day there is a new puzzle to be downloaded at the difficulty the player wants.

If you like Sudoku and own a Mac, head over to the Mac App Store and get Astraware Sudoku.

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MumboJumbo has announced the release of Chainz Galaxy for the PC, Mac and iPad. This game is the third game in the franchise. This version adds more power ups and an intriguing story line.

Chainz Galaxy takes a matching game that was already addictive and aims to make the game even more addictive. It will be hard to stop playing this version with more than eighty levels, eight power ups and thirty different bonus charms to collect. The game was already released on the Mac App Store and will be available this week at major game portals.

“We’ve given Chainz a facelift for 2011 and really moved the game mechanic forward in this edition,” said Mark Cottam, CEO of MumboJumbo.  “If you’ve played the Chainz series, you know that it’s an addictive puzzler, but we really cranked up the volume in Chainz Galaxy.”

If you are a Chainz fan or it sounds like a game you want to check out, head over to the major game portals or the Mac App Store if you are on a Mac.

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The latest Mac update brought the App Store to the Mac and many of the companies that have had games out for iOS have launched titles for the Mac too. Astraware is one of those companies. Astraware has announced three games for the Mac, Astraware Solitaire, Astraware Mahjong, and OddBlob.

Astraware Solitaire is a collection of single player card games. The game contains twelve of the most popular solitaire games. Astraware Mahjong is a modern version of the old tile-matching game. The new version adds 3D graphics and thirty different puzzle layouts. OddBlob is a puzzle game. OddBlob contains unique graphics that are hand modeled clay.

“We’re eager to extend our success with iOS gaming to the Mac,” said Howard Tomlinson, CEO of Astraware. “We look forward to reaching even more customers with our new games on the Mac App Store.”

If you are looking for a new Mac game, check out the Astraware titles on the App Store for the Mac.

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Apple has announced the New Mac App Store, which is very similar to the App Store for the iPhone/iPod/iPad. The games or apps in the Mac App store are all for the Mac computer. MumboJumbo has wasted no time and has developed ten games for the Mac App store.

The ten games are all available now and can be bought through the Mac App Store. The ten games are Salem Witch Trials, Midnight Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials Collector’s Edition, Samantha Swift and the Fountains of Fate, Samantha Swift and the Fountain of Fate Collector’s Edition, Unlikely Suspects, Chainz Galaxy, LUXOR Quest for the Afterlife, Discovery!, Mad Caps, and Twisty Tracks.

“As original pioneers of Mac OS gaming with MacPlay, we are extremely excited to make our new games, as well as our catalog of games for Mac OS from the past 20 years, available directly to our customers on Apple’s world-leading digital distribution platform,” said Cottam.  “Our games span everything from mystery-adventure to innovative matching games to strategy puzzle games—there’s something for everyone.

If any of these games are interesting you, head over to the Mac App Store and pick up a copy for the Mac. It is great to see more games coming to Mac.

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Bejeweled has been the face of casual games for a long time, much less of the “match 3″ subgenre. It and its imitators can be found everywhere, from Puzzle Quest to World of Warcraft mini-apps.

One of the challenges of a Bejeweled 3 is that there is very little to the formula you can actually add or change. Bejeweled Twist (review) managed to add some life by adding a new selection mechanic, but otherwise, a vanilla sequel would need much more. Bejeweled 3 accomplishes this by adding fresh new game modes.

Of course, it includes the base game, in which you match 3 gems to score. Four gems matched creates an explosive Flame gem. Matching five gems creates the Hypercube which can be matched with another gem to eliminate all gems of that color. Two holdovers from Bejeweled Twist can be found in 3: the Star gem and the Supernova gem. The Star gem is created when a T or L shape is matched with gems – when ignited, the Star gem shoots lasers in four directions and destroys the gems in their paths. The Supernova gem is even more difficult to create: matching six or more gems in a row, which can only be done in a complicated string of explosions. When a Supernova gem explodes, it does the same as the Star gem, only with three rows in four directions. The game ends when there’s no more matches to be made. One of the new twists is that if two Hypercubes are matched, they remove all of the gems from the board, save themselves.

That’s fine, but a slight rehash of Bejeweled 2 isn’t enough to justify a sequel. That’s why Bejeweled 3 comes with a bunch of variations of the concept.

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