Eight Ball Deluxe

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A Review of Eight Ball Deluxe

Every now and then a game comes along that reminds we computer gamers of a time not long ago when computers were a dream, and the arcade ruled the entertainment industry. In this case, pinball. So when Amtex's Eight Ball Deluxe arrived, I was overcome by a wave of nostalgia. Unfortunately, nostalgia doesn't sell games for long, so let's get down to the brass tacks, shall we?

First off, the graphics are wonderful. The playing field itself is rendered in high resolution graphics, supporting modes from 320 by 200 to 1024 by 768. It's impressive, to say the least. The only difference between the graphic modes is the size of the playing field. The sound effects are perfectly suited for this game, and from what I gather they were taken from the original pinball machine. The game runs smoothly all of the time, with no pauses in animation, which can plague games such as these. This is all great, but how does it play?

Game play is controlled by the keyboard, using the two shift keys as flipper controls. There are several ways to score big points in the game, the most notable of which is "sinking the eight ball." As is the rage these days, the ball moves according to the exact laws of physics. Game play is fast, and it's always a challenge to make it to the top ten board.

A truly nifty quality during play is the ability to "nudge" the playing field. In other words, when most people play pinball, they have a tendency to bump the table in certain situations to make the ball go in the right direction. Amtex has done an outstanding job of recreating this, providing not only a nudge key, but a nudge right, and a nudge left key. But, nudge too much, and the infamous "TILT" appears, and the ball in play is lost.

One of the more unique features of the game is the back of the box adjustments. Here you can change the video resolution, as well as the sound source. But the most interesting part is the ability to change the voltage levels, allowing the player to either supercharge or deaden the bumpers, and the ability to change the pitch of the playing field, making the action faster or slower. And let me tell you, the action gets fast and furious on a supercharged game with a steep pitch.

Another unique feature of the game is the magnet ball, which allows the player to, using his mouse, drag the ball around the playing field, to experiment with the different scoring methods and to develop strategies. (Although, just once, I couldn't resist seeing how high a score I could rack up.)

Unfortunately, the game has one large drawback. Lack of variety. Today's current computer pinball hits, such as Pinball Fantasies or Epic Pinball include several different pinball games, while Eight Ball Deluxe includes only one. Face it, you can only take so much of the same pinball game. Game play tends to get repetitive and monotonous. This is definitely one you couldn't play for hours on end.

To it's credit, however, there is nothing wrong with the game itself. It's perfect for those times when you've got five minutes to play something. And it's fun, in short spurts.

So, Amtex's Eight Ball Deluxe, although severely hampered by it's lack of variety in game play, is still a solid pinball game. Amtex has done a sensational job of porting this classic pinball game to the computer, and in the process has renewed interest in a dying field.