Arkanoid. I loved that game way back in the arcades where they had that knobby thing to control your paddle (you young whipper snappers can click here to learn what I am talking about). Over the years the game, like most other classics, has been rereleased in about 400 different formats and versions. Also like other classics, this game has about umpteen billion clones. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I love a good clone.

For webOS we have Block Breaker by Invasive Bamboo ($1.99 on the Catalog). What they did right here is the basic gameplay. You control the paddle by touching the screen and sliding your finger left and right. The gameplay is smooth and the ball reacts just as you would expect it to. As you progress, the levels get more challenging and varied, but the differences are mainly cosmetic.

Block Breaker reminds me of some of the earliest versions of the game…the ones designed to eat your quarters in the arcade. You get a set number of lives and if you die, then you start all the way over. Technically speaking that means that the 20 levels provided in the game give you a ton of content because you have to start over each time you play. However, in practice that means you won’t get past level 5 (maybe 10 if you are talented) before you get frustrated and stop playing all together.

To me, this game is begging for a level selection screen (like found in Paratrooper and Topple Ball). If I have beaten a level, then I should be able to start from there next time I want to play. Maybe this bothers me because I am not good at the game…dunno, but I do know that this is a feature that is sorely missed.

Another thing that was missing was variety. The levels change colors, and you can earn a couple of powerups (speed up or slow down), but, in the world of Peggle, this seems awfully bare bones. Now I don’t need unicorns that burp rainbows, but how about some multi-ball? or the paddle expander? or (my favorite) the laser?

Also, the boards don’t have much variety. Sure the blocks move around and change colors between levels, but they are still pretty spartan. Now a lot of this isn’t Invasive Bamboo’s fault…the screen is inherently small and there isn’t much space to make a grand scene. Maybe landscape mode would help? I am not sure the answer, but I really missed the long volleys where my ball would just bounce around up top for what seemed like forever. The basic layout seemed to prevent this kind of action.

Now Invasive Bamboo should be praised for one key feature: pausing. It sounds weird, but when you are on a mobile device like the Pre, and you are playing a game where timing is key, being able to stop the game at a moment’s notice and return without losing your ball is really important. Here if you swipe back on the gesture area (or up), then the game will pause. When you come back you get a second to prepare while the ball drops from the top of the screen. I can see where this could be used to cheat a bit, but I still think it is a very nice implementation.