Peggle

The Good
You've got to hand it to the folks at Pop Cap games. They have a real knack for designing casual games that are fun, engrossing and keep the player coming back for more.

As with all of Popcap's most successful games, the basic gameplay concept behind Peggle is a simple one. Fire a ball at a screen full of pegs. The basic goal is to hit all of the orange pegs before you run out of shots.

The look and feel of the game is reminiscent of a Pachinko or a pinball machine, except that the ball is fired from the top down rather than from the bottom up, you control the initial direction (aim) of the ball rather than the power with which it's launched, and the pegs disappear after they are hit. A bucket slides back and forth at the bottom of the screen. Land your ball in the bucket, and you get it back for an extra shot. If you enjoy Pachinko or pinball, you'll like Peggle.

The presentation is flawless. Attractive, colorful graphics are complemented by an up-beat, slightly techno musical soundtrack that never irritates. Successfully finish a level and your skill is celebrated by a brilliant display of rainbows and fireworks with a triumphant chorus singing "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's Ninth symphony. Narrowly miss that last orange peg on the board and you hear the sound of your unseen audience gasping in exasperation as the "Fever Cam" zooms in for a closeup, slow-motion view of just how near the ball came to hitting the peg. Sound effects, from balls bouncing off of pegs to button clicks to congratulatory flourishes, are appropriate and pleasing.

All of Popcap's usual user-friendly conveniences are present and accounted for. Music and sound effect volume is fully user-configurable. The game can be played either fullscreen or windowed. There's even a colorblind mode for those who can't tell orange pegs from green ones. Especially impressive (or lucky) trick shots can be saved to be replayed for admiring friends later on. For the stats buffs, a full set of stats is compiled as you play, keeping track not only of high scores but your personal best scores, the total number of shots taken, free balls earned, style shots, your best scoring shot ever, number of challenges finished and more.

The in-game help tells you everything you need to know about the game, but the first few levels are tutorial in nature so that you can skip the help and learn by playing. Hints for improving your game play are offered at the completion of each level. Each player is tracked by name and progress is automatically saved as the game progresses. Leave the game and return later, and you are taken to the same level at which you left off.

As you play, you are mentored by a cast of ten Peggle Masters. Each one gives you a special power-up which is invoked by hitting one of two green pegs on the board. Bjorn Unicorn gives you a Super Guide which shows exactly where the ball will bounce to after hitting a peg. Jimmy Lightning, the beaver, gives you Multiball, which clones your ball so that there are multiple balls bouncing around the pegs, rather than just one. Kat Tut turns the bucket at the bottom of the screen into a much wider pyramid, making extra balls much easier to get. Splork, the alien, gives you Space Blast, which causes an explosion that takes out all pegs within a certain radius. Claude the lobster gives you claw flippers, turning Pachinko into pinball. Renfield the Jack-o-lantern gives you Spooky Ball, a second ball that drops onto the game board, hitting more pegs after your initial ball falls off the screen. Tula the sunflower gives you Flower Power, which marks several orange pegs within the vicinity of a green peg as having been hit. Warren the rabbit gives you Lucky Spin; a random bonus that can be anything from an extra ball to triple points to one of the other Peggle Masters' power-ups. Lord Cinterbottom, the dragon, gives you Fireball, which destroys all pegs that it hits without bouncing or changing direction. Finally, Master Hu, the owl, gives you Zen Ball, which automatically adjusts your shot, turning it into a better shot. As with all the best games, Peggle is simple on the surface, but full of subtle intricacies, which these ten Peggle Masters reveal. When you can snatch the Peggle from their hands (or paws or tentacles as the case may be) it will be time for you to leave, Grasshopper!

Or will it? Even after completing the basic levels that comprise the Adventure (campaign) game and earning your Peggle Master trophy, there are additional Master challenges with more difficult requirements, such as clearing every peg on the board, rather than just the orange ones or getting a minimum score for a given level. Finish all these for a promotion from Master to Grand Master. Clear all the pegs from every level in the game and earn the coveted title of Extreme Grand Master. There's even a Duel Mode in which you can play against one of the ten computer-controlled Peggle Masters or against a friend. All in all, there's lots of replay value here.

The Bad
What's not to like? If I had to nit-pick, I suppose a level editor might have been a nice addition but, honestly, I can find no real flaws with this game.

The Bottom Line
Peggle is Pachinko on steroids. If you get a kick out of bouncing balls off of pegs with lots of bells and whistles and if you enjoy casual games that can be played in short sittings, this one's for you.

The Good
Gameplay is simple but captivating. Using the different abilities is fun. Lots of content but doesn't drag out.

The Bad
Some of the level layouts are a bit frustrating. A bit too reliant on luck (especially when going for high scores).

The Bottom Line
Easy to play, easy to enjoy. Good for a bit of time wasting.