Match 3 games are really popular with the gamers today. These are the games of a simple but fascinating genre. Moreover, one abstract match 3 game is the first thing to come to the gamer's mind if someone mentions mini-game format.
The main idea of match 3 games is creating lines (vertical or horizontal, sometimes diagonal) or groups of various figured forms which consist of no less than three counters of one type. In order to do that one has to manipulate with the counters at the play field according to certain rules. The lines created of the counters are automatically removed from the play field and new counters are added by accident generation. Sometimes one has a limited period of time to complete the levels.
Match 3 games are not homogeneous as their different realizations (despite their main idea of gathering three or more counters in a line) may evidently vary from each other in the mechanism of a game or its ultimate tasks. The lines (or groups) of counters may be created in different ways depending on a concrete game. They may be created through changing places of neighbouring counters, changing places of vertical and horizontal lines of the play field, stretching "chains" (of different form) of the neighbouring counters of the same type, activating (by clicking on them) of the groups already existing at the play field. One can come across some even more exotic variants.
The ultimate tasks of match 3 games (which you can download in this section absolutely free) also vary. For completing a level a gamer may need to get certain amount of points, remove certain amount of counters of certain types from the play field, destroy all the blocks in the squares of the play field (creating lines above them), stretch one or several indestructible counter-blocks to the bottom line of the play field and so on.
During the game various bonus counters simplifying the game and anti-bonus counters complicating the game are introduced. They are generated accidentally. There are also online versions of match 3 games. One can play them online, playing in this way he doesn't need to download and install the game.