Peggle and Plants vs. Zombie maker PopCap has paired with Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest publisher Square Enix to craft Gyromancer, a new puzzle-RPG.

Coming to Xbox 360 as an Xbox Live Arcade download and PC via Steam, the game is said to feature PopCap's addictive color-matching puzzler Bejeweled Twist "at its core."

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"We've always enjoyed a strong partnership with PopCap Games and Gyromancer represents our goal of developing unique gaming experiences... Read more

A pilot study by PopCap's UK division into the use of casual gaming to stave off snack cravings has yielded promising results, according to a report issued today.

The numbers are more than a little iffy--of the mere 30 participants who started the trial, a scant 10 finished--but playing PopCap's Bejeweled Twist apparently had a 100% success rate at beating cravings and lifting mood. Encouraged by these results, PopCap plans to fund nore research into the health benefits of casual gaming this year.

A number of the participants were non-gamers, including 39 year old Debbie Hodgson who said, "My cravings have noticeably reduced since I started this trial and I lost 7 lbs over 4 weeks." Casual gaming might benefit hardcore gamers too, as a study last year revealed EverQuest II players, while not fat, are sad.

While PopCap are naturally reluctant to draw firm conclusions on the results, we here at Shacknews have no qualms about risking our Internet doctors' licenses. Our snappy, quotable advice is "Don't pig: Peggle!" and "Bejeweled those blues away!", though we stray away from recommending Feeding Frenzy 2.