Peggle is a 2D game where each of the different backgrounds are filled with different colored pegs. The objective of the game is to clear all of the orange pegs from the screen in each level by hitting them with a ball shot from the cannon at the top of the screen. Once you light up any of the pegs on the screen, they will then disappear, causing a path to clear and therefore make it easier to get to your next target.

 

 

As well as there being orange pegs spread throughout the screen, each of the levels are also filled with blue pegs (which have no effect when hit), a few purple pegs (which are basically score boosters) and also one or two green pegs (which activate a different power-up depending on which level you are playing). Playing Peggle, especially as you start to progress further does require a certain amount of strategy, such as bouncing the ball off the blue pegs or other obstacles to reach the orange pegs that you need to clear from the screen. You do need to make the most of everything at your disposal to make sure you progress past each of the puzzles.

 

Another twist to the game comes in the form of the bucket which moves slowly along the bottom of the screen, landing your ball in here will enable you to gain a free ball, although if you do manage this it is probably more down to luck than skill. You will also be awarded free balls for style shots or for gaining a high score in a single shot.

 

The levels you will play in Peggle are quite varied, for example one has a windmill like effect, with the pegs turning constantly while you are trying to hit them with your ball, while others have pegs spiralling around the screen. There is even one level where the pegs form the shape of a spidersweb. Each of the levels offers a different challenge, and will no doubt keep you hooked on trying to progress past them.

 

 

As briefly mentioned earlier, the green pegs will offer different effects depending on the level you are currently playing, this can range from a flipper effect, which sees you hit the ball using a pair of pinball table-like flippers which appear at the bottom of the screen for a set amount of turns to a spooky ball, which is basically a glowing green ball which hits the pegs on the way down the screen, before falling to the bottom before a second one appears and does the same again. My personal favourite when hitting the green ball though was the flower power effect, this basically lights up a fifth of the orange pegs left on the screen, nice.

 

When playing the game will keep a track of your overall score as you progress through each of the levels, so even if you turn the game off your score will pick up from the last time you played.

 

Altogether Peggle offers around 55 puzzles to play through as well as 75 challenges, online leaderboards and two multiplayer modes in Peg Party and Duel Mode. There is certainly plenty of value here for the points, especially when you take into account the hours of play time this game will get out of you. It’s addictive we tell you.