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Genre: Game - Arcade Action

Developer: Reflexive Entertainment

Publisher: Big Fish Games

Minimum System Requirements: Mac OS X, 400MHz G3, 128MB RAM

Price: $19.99

Demo: Available

No game more clearly heralds the advance of computer gaming than this. No, there are not various levels of story lines, weaving their way together through foggy 3D cityscapes. No real-time strategies being played out in the background while you interact with characters in a non-linear plotline that changes with every incarnation of the game. None of that knee-deep techie talk. The advance is made plain by the fact that you can so clearly compare it with one of the original video games: Breakout. Ricochet Lost Worlds (RLW) is, essentially, Breakout, in much the way that Lindsay Lohan is, essentially, that dull and pimply heavy-set 58-year-old waitress behind the counter at Rally's. Same basic premise, but with dramatically different presentation and allure.

The moment you start your game, robotic arms unfold from the sides of your screen and place sculpted blocks on the board in front of you. You almost have time to register the depth of the velvety blue-hued background in constant motion (optional - based on the speed of your computer, you might want to tone this down) before it is time to blow things up. Your "paddle" is a custom-painted PT Cruiser with an expanded bumper. Your "ball" is an aluminum-covered soccer-ball-esque dodecahedron. A variety of blocks are poised on the screen, some moving, some unbreakable, and some containing power-ups.

Though I can't list all of the options and enhancements offered to each of the aspects of the game, a brief overview in each area is warranted.

Bricks/blocks: Each of the bricks—of variable appearance fitting with the theme of the board—fit into one of three categories. Some are normal and just need to be struck once with a ball, bullet, or bomb to be destroyed. Some need to be hit multiple times to be destroyed or release their hidden power up. Barrier bricks cannot be destroyed by the ball, but can be destroyed by bombs or, in some instances, by a hit from above or below in the case of "half-barrier" bricks. In addition to power-ups, described below, bombs that can have a variety of effects are hidden within some of the bricks. These help by blowing things up in the immediate vicinity or taking off in a direction either pre-programmed or determined by the direction of an arrow rotating on the surface of the brick and destroying everything in their path. Some bombs merely transfigure nearby bricks, turning barriers into blocks that can be broken or release power-ups of their own.

Paddle: As mentioned earlier, your paint job is customizable. In addition, you can power-up (or down) to a shrunken bumper (small and tiny). Certain power ups can give you guns on your ship or allow you to catch the ball and release it at will.

Ball: The ball can be shrunken or multiplied, slowed or sped up, and—in the kind of gaming twist that keeps Big Fish Games so popular—it can acquire guns of its own. This last option makes for an old-fashioned western-style shootout, resulting in a hail of bullets and exploding bricks that combine for a ridiculously short completion time on your board.

Power-ups: In addition to those mentioned before, power ups can help on many occasions, but can sometimes really mess up your game. Helpful power-ups include the ball multiplier, which puts additional balls into play, and an electric barrier along the bottom that allows you to make an error, sending your ball back into play. A "Normal ship" power-up can undo the damage of some of the ship-altering harmful power-ups. These harmful power-ups include the ball and paddle shrinkers, and a "fast" power-up that can speed your game up beyond your ability to do anything more than keep the ball recklessly in play. One power-up is simply a bomb that will, I assume, destroy your ship. (If I've learned one thing in my gaming life, it is to avoid bombs. I've never hit one of these in RLW, even for the sake of the review. This is, simply, one of the inviolable laws of gaming. Come to think of it, this is one of the rules of gaming that applies really well to real life. In real life it is also wise to always avoid bombs. This is different from the practical application of the rule of gaming that requires you to walk up to everyone in the room, or on the street, or in the foxhole, and chat them up. In the gaming world, it seems especially true that you must try and engage scrubbly chain-wielding helmeted bikers in casual conversation. If you're lucky, in real life, this will only get you strange looks. If you're unlucky, it could have an effect similar a bomb.)

In addition to the categories above, an additional aspect to the game is created by the placement of rings on each round. These rings, some of which are placed in locations on the board that force you to destroy bricks in a particular way to reach them, comprise a bonus game of their own. Each ring you acquire is worth points. You receive bonus rings for clearing them from each board. Once you have acquired a set number of rings, you are awarded additional PT Cruisers.

Allowing four levels of skill and plenty of new levels of gameplay, the purchased version is a dramatic improvement on the online version. As you take on your own and your family members' high scores, the RLW's challenges and new angles constantly change your strategy. There are slow moments when you have one or two remaining blocks that need to be destroyed, and the addition of a "clear the board" power-up that could be used at your discretion would be a welcome addition to speed you through these slow times. This is a minor concern in a game that works well and is well conceived. Though the concept is ultimately Breakout, Ricochet Lost Worlds is light years beyond.

In addition to the categories above, an additional aspect to the game is created by the placement of rings on each round. These rings, some of which are placed in locations on the board that force you to destroy bricks in a particular way to reach them, comprise a bonus game of their own. Each ring you acquire is worth points. You receive bonus rings for clearing them from each board. Once you have acquired a set number of rings, you are awarded additional PT Cruisers.

Allowing four levels of skill and plenty of new levels of gameplay, the purchased version is a dramatic improvement on the online version. As you take on your own and your family members' high scores, the RLW's challenges and new angles constantly change your strategy. There are slow moments when you have one or two remaining blocks that need to be destroyed, and the addition of a "clear the board" power-up that could be used at your discretion would be a welcome addition to speed you through these slow times. This is a minor concern in a game that works well and is well conceived. Though the concept is ultimately Breakout, Ricochet Lost Worlds is light years beyond.

Download the free demo.