Kirby's Block Ball

If you remember luminous green socks, grey-flecked trousers and Spandau Ballet then the chances are you can probably remember the Breakout coin-op. Its premise could surely have been no more simple: knock a ball about a screen, trying to destroy rows of blocks using a 'paddle' at the bottom, which you move across and back accordingly. And that was, as they say, that. But, often, it is the simplest of concepts that prove to be the best games (you only have to look at this month's Magical Drop to realise that) and so, with this in mind, Nintendo and their little pink friend (Kirby, that is) reproduce a Breakout for the nineties. And very good it is too.

Kirby's Blockball has ten worlds in all and these are laid out in map form. Progress can only be achieved by destroying all the blocks on each individual level. Of course, this proves harder than it sounds. Some blocks take more bashing than others and so to prevent unexpected rebounds and hours of toiling away trying to get to the next row, Kirby can transform from his usual small circular state into a huge mass of marshmallow, taking out anything that dares stand in his way. Power-ups are also made readily available and enable Kirbs to do such things as turn into a stone and a fireball. Nice, no?

The spikes at the bottom of the screen must be avoided at all costs as they will signal the end of the little pink scamp. Which means that the power-ups become a necessary addition to your inventory as opposed to an optional one, due to the fact that in his powered-up state he can survive should he drop onto the dreaded pointy ones.

Who Ate All The Pies?

By tapping the A button twice, Kirby can inflate to Rob Pegley proportions and knock blocks out of the way like nobody's business. The amount of times he is able to do this is limitless but, when you're concentrating on keeping your ball from falling into the spikes, you often forget this is one of the options available to you.

As with any game involving Kirby, there are stacks of bonus games to be found. These can be accessed by hitting special icons during a normal game. Often they are hidden behind rows of blocks, but they are worth trying for as they give you extra lives.

As the levels progress, paddles appear on two and then all four walls. This helps the player to redirect the ball into the more difficult nooks and crannies. Gumph! Kirby's Blockball is a pleasant surprise. It's not as good as its predecessor, Kirby's Pinball Land but, nonetheless, it's excellent fun. Admittedly, you won't be playing it constantly for the next six months, but if you're looking for a game which isn't too testing on the old brain and fits in nicely between home and work then get it.