Summary
Variations on a Limited Theme
The Good
Once you get some practice with the paddles, Pong isn't a bad game to play with a friend.
The Bad
Even though this game touts itself as having 50 variations, the games are all Pong. Pong has a tendency to get dull after a while.
The Bottom Line
This game packages eight different variations of the Pong game engine. It includes Pong, Soccer (Pong with a smaller hole to defend), Foozpong (Pong with several paddles), Hockey (Pong with the goal moved off of the edge of the screen), Quadrapong (Pong with all four sides of the screen requiring defense) and Handball (Pong with both people on the same side). The final two variations clearly use the Pong engine, but require bouncing the ball upward and over a net (Volleyball) or into a net (Basketball).
The games are not without play value, especially when multiple human players are involved. The different variations, moreover, add enough variation to keep the cartridge interesting for a few plays. In the end, however, each of these games is just Pong. And that's not enough to keep me interested for more than a half hour or so. The final two games are, while creative uses of the Pong engine, not especially playable. You may wish to note that only one of the game variations on this cartridge provides a computer (or robot) opponent. This may not be the cart for you if you lack friends.
