in all honesty, I never played the original Pong. (Ed's Note: Means you were deprived, hehe!) When I mean the original Pong, I mean the trackball, the standalone game system, the whole schebang, I wasn't even born when the thing hit the markets, so forgive me if my impression of Hasbro's remake of Pong somehow doesn't do justice to the original grandaddy of all videogames.

Let me cut to the chase; this game is amazing. Compared to the remakes of Space Invaders, Asteroids, Frogger and Centipede, this game outshines all of the above. It's probably because of the simplicity in the design of Pong that makes it almost impossible to actually screw it up. Nevertheless, the game is totally addictive, and has taken precendence over all my other 'new' games that are on the shelf waiting to be played.

The game engine for it is really quite good, as Activision has implemented very realistic physics to the game, as well as putting in some small humour with the paddles and the way they react to situations. At one time, I accidently let in a ball without moving the paddle, and the camera shifted to a view of the paddle jumping up and down in a fit of frustration. The control is superb, and is only augmented by the fact that you can use the analog stick to control your paddle. This is probably the closest you'll get to the original controls today without going out and buying the original Pong system and trackball.

If you're thinking 'how can Hasbro possible reinvent Pong?', the answer is simple; stuff numerous variations of the original game in together as a nice little package. What you get is a game that feels fresh and innovative as well as nostalgic at the same time. Many of the levels become very addictive, not to mention that there are three variations to each board you play on. For example, on the second board, you are set on a soccer field with a partner board against two opposing paddles. The objective in the first variation is to simply get the soccer ball into the other opponent's net. However, in the second and third variations, this becomes harder because you have moles digging holes and making hills to affect the direction of the ball. Another board in the third zone has a board called Tilt Zone, where once you acquire a power-up, you can tilt the board down to your opponent's side, so the ball won't reach your net, and your opponent must work against gravity to keep the ball alive.

The graphics show a real work of art, as every level has it's own unique personality and it's own ... uh, catchy song. The amazing part of it is that after about 2 decades, the game is still very fun to play, and that's just a testament to the work of Nolan Bushnell, the designer of the original game. From my first impressions of the first three zones of this game, I would recommend this game to anyone who wants to experience the spirit of Pong firsthand.

· · · Reno