Sometimes the biggest challenge of all is Father Time. In the long run, no one can outrun it; but when it comes to blitz games, there is a chance that you can outpace the clock. Time based games also lend themselves to simple game mechanics. For instance, not long back we took on words and the clock together on Jambalaya, a simple game with clean-cut Retina graphics. For a larger cross-section of time based games, head for 10 Fun Challenging Time Management Games.

As you can see, there’s no dearth of ‘time-wasters’ and they get to be quite addictive too. Diamond Dash ticks all the right boxes if you are looking for such kind of games. It is super-simple, challenging, and addictive.  And of course, it's free. The four qualities helped it to make it to our Best iPhone Games list.

The Diamond Blitz

I don’t think this game is for the color blind or for someone who is slow with touch on an iOS screen. You need both attributes to make a success out of this game. Diamond Dash (as you might have guessed from the name of the game) is a blitz with jewels and diamonds. It is a 60 second gem rush, and if you fancy it – a bit of an adrenaline rush too if you pit your score against your friends.

http://youtu.be/rT8o_EwId5o

The simple gameplay: To notch up points, you simply have to click on three or more gems of the same color as fast as possible and as many times as possible in 60 seconds. The gems you click on need to be grouped of course. Scores on Diamond Dash are not carried over from one level to the next. You just have to beat your previous high-score.

The Mechanics of Play & Scoring

While the simple rule is to play fast and explode as many colored gems as possible, you can really accelerate your scoring by jumping to higher levels (there are 100 levels in all) and unlocking boosts and powers.

Here is a brief description from the game support site of the boosts and powers you can unlock as you progress to higher levels…

Magic Fire:  Click on 3 or more gems, 10 times in a row. With this boost, when you click on a group of 3 or more gems, all the gems that surround them will also be destroyed.

Magic Diamond: They are of two types - Fireball Diamond & Plasma Burst. Fireball Diamond unleashes a fireball onto the board to destroy a large amount of gems. Plasma Burst destroys a number of surrounding gems.

Magic Powers: The Mystic Bomb destroys a group of gems and gives you a score bonus.

There are also Time Bonus boosts which add more seconds to the game play and help you destroy more gems.

To take short cuts through the game, you have to spend the currencies the game comes with. For instance, you can also use collected Coins to purchase time bonuses and boosters like Mystic Bombs. The more rounds you play, the more coins you collect. Coins are also available as in-app purchases from the iTunes store.

Diamond Dash also uses the concept of Lives.  Lives allows you to play continuous rounds in one go. Diamond Dash has another type of currency in the form of Gold Bars. You accumulate gold bars as you progress from one level to the next. Extra lives can be purchased with the help of these gold bars.

It’s a Gem of a Game

Diamond Dash is a 25 MB download for iOS. It is also available for Android and as an online game on Facebook. I have had the most fun playing this on iOS (iPod Touch and iPhone 5), probably because of the Retina Display.

Diamond Dash seems deceptively simple, and it is on one level. But the use of boosters and powers make the game more fun. It is intensely fast-paced and if you go up against your friends on the Game Center or on Facebook, it becomes insanely competitive. 60 seconds of blitz fun and you can’t argue with the price. Try it…the world already has.