Starball

Flippers and balls

I always liked playing Pinball in the arcades, but I doubt you'd ever call me a serious addict. Fun, but nothing more than that for a game or two. Not a great start, uh? Well, the ST seemed to have received several Pinball games back in the day, and it's only now that I realise I've played so few of them!

Starball is different from the competition because it wasn't commercial. It was created by Dave Oldcorn, who probably desired to become a bedroom millionaire. Now, I doubt that happened, as many gamers had given up following the Atari ST scene by 1994. This is a shame because this game is blummin' great.

Starball doesn't have the polish of a certain commercial offering, which is understandable. But it has style and oozes its own brand of character with such distinct tables. The graphics and sounds are lovely, and everything scrolls fast down your SC1224. I'm often unsure about the physics behind that glam, because sometimes things don't seem to go quite as expected. Hey, it's shareware, so give it a break.

If you love Pinball, this is worth downloading, and I'm sure you'll love it to bits. To think £5 was the asking price - shockingly good value. A superb game and possibly one of the best within the ST's library.

Here are a few screenshots and the all-too-important download link.

  
I love the dark tones, and each table is different with many cool fx.

 
Awesome graphics!! And who expected to see Invaders in pinball?!!