Jackie Strickland – Great-Grandmother May Be World’s Top Zuma Player
Jackie Strickland doesn’t think it’s any big deal to have completed Zuma multiple times. The 67-year old great-grandmother from Montevallo, Alabama does admit to Zuma being her favorite game, and the tips she passed to this writer (whose highest score of 700,000 pales in comparison to Jackie’s 2 million-plus) were clearly coming from a formidable player. Zuma is a notoriously difficult game in the later stages – this writer has made it to the penultimate level but never beyond, and no other players who have completed Zuma have come to this writer’s attention.
It wasn’t always this way – Jackie recalls that when she first discovered the game, it seemed impossibly difficult. “When I first played Zuma and saw the ‘ACE TIME’ (the amount of time in which to complete each level in order to receive bonus points), I thought that was crazy and nobody could get the balls that fast. I started practicing on the first five levels and especially the first level, and improved my speed and learned to get the coin as fast as I could. The fastest ‘ACE TIME’ I've gotten is five seconds – and topping the ace times is key to eventually beating the game, as it builds up the score to get extra lives. When I first started the game I would sit up half the night playing and I have never gotten tired of the game,” Jackie smiles. “The first time I got through level 9 I thought the game would be over and found out different, and when I finished 12 I just knew I had finally done it – but guess what, there's a level 13..! When I beat the game the first time I felt like I had won a war and conquered a Nation,” she laughs.
“It’s all about getting ahead of the darned marbles,” Jackie patiently explains. “You need to rack up points in the early rounds in order to have enough lives to survive the tougher rounds at the end. Scoring 100,000 or more in the first stage (first five levels) is key.” No argument here, it’s the doing that poses a challenge. Another tip to Zuma success from Jackie ties in as well. “Aim as far back in the chain of marbles as you can – take out sections of marbles well up the chain and this will buy you time as well as scoring more bonus points and getting more of the power-ups that slow the chain down, make it go backward, and so forth.”
While Jackie plays Zuma competitively, she also finds benefits beyond the fun and challenge of the game. “Zuma helped me get through chemotherapy treatments and now it’s helping me cope with my husband’s illness. It’s great for stress, and it gives me something to do in the evenings besides watching TV,” she smiles. “I play for at least half an hour a day, often much more. I don’t use the game as an escape, but more as a way to clear my mind.” Jackie has also inoculated her entire family, especially her children’s children – and their children. “All of the children and grandchildren play Zuma and my great-grandchildren just started playing it last year and they love it too. None of them have beaten it yet but my money is on my grandson!”
Jackie is a very active and upbeat person, enjoying a variety of activities ranging from fishing to watching football. “I’m an avid Steve Spurrier fan – during football season, I’m parked in front of the TV,” she laughs.
While Jackie has played a few other PopCap games including Bejeweled and Alchemy, she says she always comes back to Zuma. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get tired of Zuma; it’s different each time you play it, so the challenge is on the one hand familiar and on the other hand fresh and new. Although Peggle has its merits too..!”
