Crush Roller

"Developer ADK puts some life into an old arcade classic."

Crush Roller was one of my very first arcade games. That being said, I'm very pleased that ADK has decided to re-make this classic for the Neo-Geo Pocket Color. I was expecting it to be a good conversion, and I wasn't disappointed.

Gameplay: 9/10

Crush Roller bears a certain resemblence to Pac-Man. You go through a maze, just like in Pac-Man. However, in Crush Roller, you paint the maze different colors instead of eating all of those little dots in Pac-Man. But just like Pac-Man, there's plenty of baddies you'll have to avoid while doing it. The controls on Crush Roller are very responsive, so avoiding those baddies should be a piece of cake.

Graphics: 7/10

Crush Roller might not be any graphical wonder, but the visuals are more than adequate just the same. I just wish the mazes were a bit more colorful. Too bad ADK only used primary colors. But the mazes are still very detailed, especially for a hand-held system.

Sound: 7/10

The sound is pretty good in this game. The tunes might seem a little cheesy to some people, but they're pretty darn good for a hand-held. And personally, I like them regardless. I guess it's really just a matter of opinion. The sound effects are amazing any way you look at them, though. I love the sound of squashing all of those bad guys with my roller, and I'm sure everyone else will too.

Value: 10/10

With 25 completely different, unique mazes, a Time Trial mode after you've completed each maze, and Link Cable support that allows you to play along with a friens, Crush Roller screams replay value. Each of the 25 mazes is fairly challenging, so you won't be finishing anytime soon. The Time Trial mode just adds to the difficulty, giving you more to do. Playing against a friend with the Link Cable is an absolute blast. Besides, there's always that good old arcade version to come back to when you're finally done with everything else.

Rent or buy ? Definitely a great buy. There's so much stuff to do in Crush Roller, you couldn't possibly get everything done in one rent.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/02/00, Updated 09/02/00