Marble Madness review - Nintendo Gameboy

Converted from the massively successful Atari coin-op, Marble Madness casts the player as a marble out to win a number of races set on a scrolling isometric 3D environment.

There isn't exactly much in the way of competition. Your objective is just to beat the clock and finish the race before the timer reaches zero. This might sound simple, but making matters more difficult are the sheer amount of hazards to be overcome. The marble responds realistically to the contoured terrain making half of the challenge keeping your marble rolling in the direction you want it to. Different surfaces, like ice, for example, make keeping control even more difficult.

But perhaps the most dangerous obstacles are the living creatures that infest the Marble Madness domain. The most common are black marbles that attempt to barge you off the edge of the course. Other hostile creatures come in the form of acid pools that literally burn your sphere away into nothingness. Later levels introduce even more varieties of lethal alien beings - and dusting your orb-like posterior is their idea of a good time.

There are six levels of exciting bowel-shatteringly exciting action in Marble Madness. Do you have the amazing gift of video game dexterity required to overcome the odds and conquer the game?

What the Mean Machines staff thought

Like Gauntlet II, reviewed elsewhere in this issue, Marble Madness is a black and white replica of the coin-op. All the features of the original have been packed in, and the end result is a superb game which'll keep you coming back constantly to try and best your score! An excellent game that's a must for portable gaming freaks.

Amazing as it may sound, this Mindscape conversion of Marble Madness is virtually identical to the coin-op in terms of graphics and playability. Although there are only six levels, it's so fun to play, you'll still come back for more. A great Gameboy purchase!