If you've checked out the cover demo,
you'll already know what a nifty little
number
Batz 'n' Balls is. Basically, David
Gommeren has done for
Arkanoid what
he previously did for
Tetris - jazzed it up
and given it a new lease of life. The game
contains 150 levels, bonus screens,
power-up icons and a multitude of tricks
and tweaks. Graphics are bold and smooth,
although there's really not that much you
can do with screens full of bricks, and the
soundtrack is one of those
subtle bass numbers that
bypass the ears and slide
straight into the brain.
Gameplay is tough, perhaps too
tough, but jolly rewarding as you
fight on to discover just
what the game has in
store for you next. Thank heavens for the
password system, which allows you to jump
straight to every fifth screen.
Apart from your own lack of bat-jiggling
talent, the main obstacles between you and
success are the aliens that zip constantly
round the screen. They're harmless - you
can zap them with a touch of the bat - but if
the ball hits them then it rebounds off at a
random angle. This results in the kind of
exclamations that shatter both light bulbs
and illusions. If you think these little fellows
are bad, wait 'til you meet the end-of-section baddies. These are absolutely
massive-aliens that fly around shooting as
you attempt to zap them with a well-aimed
ball. This is the best bit of the game, it's just
like a mini
Space Invaders. Coo, eh?
Whizzy and whizzo, this mindlessly
playable game takes
Breakout about as far
as it can go. For maximum effect, invest in
a mouse. It'll translate your panicked
movements perfectly, and adds to the fun
no end. Make no mistake,
Batz isn't going
to convert new fans to the genre but
current ones will lap it up.
