Cool Ball

"The First (and Possibly only) review for a wonderful and little-known puzzle game"

Cool Ball is one of the funnest games I have ever had the opportunity to play. You are basically a little ball who has to navigate his way through one hundred levels, collecting items and finding the exit. It's so much fun and so addictive, it's really sad that not many people know it even exists.

The levels are very simple. There are a series of items (like keys and water droplets) which are hovering over little platforms. You need to jump from platform to platform to get them. Of course, there are obstacles, such as platforms that disappear forever after you bounce on them, enemies, and brick walls. After you have collected all the items, then a little 'exit' sign appears and you have to reach it. If you fall off a platform and onto an enemy or the void below then, obviously, you're dead. o_O

This game was released in the early nineteen-nineties, I think, so the graphics are so ordinary it's sad. They're very clear however for the game's age. There isn't much variation in the enemies or the levels, except for the occasional change of background, from a picture of the statue of liberty, to a space image, to a picture of two people, etc. Very simple.

The music is incredibly awful, I am sad to say. It's the same track looped over and over again. I found myself turning the sound off most of the time and turning up my CD player most of the time. There are no sound effects and the only time you will hear any other music is when you get a game over.

This is not an easy game. Some of the levels (namely level 88) had me thinking and screaming aloud when I died. It's very frustrating but incredibly rewarding to finally beat all 99 levels. (the hundredth level is the 'ending'). Of course, the game is made slightly easier by the fact that when you die, you will go straight back to the level you were on, without all the points you accumulated.

All in all, Cool Ball is a wonderful puzzle game. I don't think you will be able to find many copies of it anymore. Aside from the mediocre music, it is a purchase you will not regret especially if you like puzzle games. If you see it in the bargains bin at your local op-shop, pick it up. You will not be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/27/02, Updated 12/27/02