DX-Ball

The Good
I'm probably one of the biggest "Krakout" fans on this plane of existence, and I really like this type of no-nonsense arcade game with straightforward gameplay and just enough fancy bits to keep you away from your Atari 2600. (Although I haven't played a Breakout-type game on the Atari, I imagine there must be one.)

"DX-Ball" is just easy enough to be relaxing instead of frustrating, and keeps getting harder at a suitable rate, so that you keep coming back for more. It also has nice, simple graphics and crisp sound.

The Bad
It is possible, by way of bonus tiles, to empty a screen in about two seconds from the word go, while on the other hand it may take you minutes to get rid of those last two tiles. (Apparently, if you keep playing a level long enough, a bolt of lightning blasts away the remaining tiles. Then again, maybe I just dreamt it.) This would not be so bad if the game had robots, gigantic bold heads, queen bees or other such terrors on the screen to change the balls course on impact (as was the case with Krakout and Arkanoid, at least, though Krakout also had larger tiles and balls, which made collisions more likely), the gameplay would get less repetitive in these situations.

Also, I cannot play a Breakout game without comparing it to the C=64 version of Krakout, and despite the use of DirectX technology and the clean presentation and smooth gameplay, this just doesn't come near Krakout's level of excellence. (Though I doubt anything ever will.)

The Bottom Line
Nostalgia aside, DX-Ball is the best ball-and-paddle game I've seen on a >8bit computer, and well worth the price (as it's free). Even though I own a C=64 and a copy of Krakout, I still do play this game and enjoy it a lot.

The Good
The graphics are nice, the sound effects are cool. I also liked the fact that there are lots of powerups and levels.

The Bad
It can get boring after a while and once you get sick of it you just kill yourself because you don't feel like playing anymore.

The Bottom Line
Just like any other breakout clone except with better graphics.

The Good
It fits on a single floppy, it's free, it's fast, and it used to keep my seven year old son happy for hours. It works on every machine I have tried it on (including a very peculiar laptop that usually had trouble with Direct-X). When a friend asks if I have any games, DX-Ball is the first one I give them.

The Bad
Nothing! But don't expect too much - it really is pretty simple. And what is wrong with that?

The Bottom Line
Like the old tennis game of the 1970s, but updated. Addictive. Free, and takes up almost no space. Go on, try it.