Game review: Pinball Fantasies - iPhone / iPod Touch

Times change of course and where once simple pleasures like going to the amusement arcade were enough, more and more over the years it has been hi-tech forms of entertainment which people have craved – chief among them being computer games.

This doesn’t mean pinball is dead. In fact, it is still flourishing in the digital age thanks ironically to ... computer games.

Three of the most notable pinball titles came out in the 1990s on the Commodore Amiga. They were called Pinball Dreams, Fantasies and Illusions.

Earlier this year the clever people at Cowboy Rodeo gave the classic trilogy a fresh lease of life by bringing out Dreams for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The game was acclaimed by critics and met with delight by pinball fans, some of whom remembered the original while others were new to the series (me included).

Last month the sequel Fantasies was released to a similarly enthusiastic reaction.

Dreams was a dream to play, with four great tables, excellent graphics and easy controls.

So how does Fantasies match up?

The answer is very well.

For a start you get four more fantastic themed tables, all with their own characteristics. Each table plays very differently.

For fans of the Amiga game, these are the original tables:

• Party Land: Fairground/circus
• Speed Devils: Motorsport
• Billion Dollar Gameshow: TV quiz show
• Stones 'N Bones: Haunted house

With more features and complex layouts, as well as being larger, the tables in Fantasies are even more challenging than Dreams.

As they did in the first game, the top-down tables in Fantasies look top-notch. The graphics are detailed, sharp and vivid, though not so bright that you lose where your ball is on the table.

The 60FPS which the game runs at is one of its best features, with the balls whizzing around each table smoothly and at a very impressive speed.

Controlling the flippers could not be easier. Simply tap left or right side of the screen to activate each flipper. As with real pinball, timing is everything.

You can shake the device to tilt the table, though I’ve not got on with this feature particularly well.

You might think the lack of tactile controls would be an issue in a pinball game, but this isn’t the case. You need to concentrate too much to worry about not having buttons to push or a real table to rattle.

Another feature of this game I really like is being able to play in both portrait and landscape orientation.

I really enjoyed Dreams when it came out. I thought it was a highly polished and entertaining game. I thought a lot of respect had obviously been shown to the Amiga original while at the same time the game felt right for the iPhone/iPod platform.

I’m even more impressed with what’s been done with Fantasies.

Some people might criticise the developers for not doing enough to innovate on the early Amiga game.

Other than the look, speed and sounds of the original being enhanced, this is still standard pinball video game fare – it still boils down to you trying to score the highest score possible with three balls on each of the four tables.

There are no new modes of play, no flashy new gimmicks, and up against some of the newer pinball games it maybe lacks some creativity and has less content.

But what this game does have in abundance is quality. It does what it does very well. I don’t see anything wrong with it staying true to the game it’s based on and staying true to the original pinball concept of player versus table.

It provides the same simple pleasure that pinball machines once did down the arcade.

Dreams and Fantasies are now permanent residents on my iPod Touch. I’m looking forward to Illusions making it a hat-trick.

Verdict: 9 out of 10 - Whether you remember the original Amiga version or not, this classic pinball simulation will soon win your affections