Pro Pinball: The Web

Review by:   Mike Laskey

Game     :   Pro Pinball: The Web
Publisher:   Empire Interactive
RRP      :   34.99
SPS      :   29.99 (inc next day delivery)
Format   :   CD-ROM
Available:   Out now

Requires :

O/S      :   DOS 5
Processor:   486DX/33
RAM      :   4Mb
HD Space :   1Mb
Graphics :   SVGA (1Mb)
CD-ROM   :   Double-spin
Soundcard:   Soundblaster or compatible (or Gravis)
Controls :   Keyboard

Tested on:

O/S      :   MS-DOS 7.00
Processor:   486DX4/100
RAM      :   20Mb
Graphics :   2Mb Cirrus 5428 VLB
CD-ROM   :   Mitsumi FX001D double-spin
Soundcard:   Soundblaster 16 Pro
Controls :   Keyboard

Every once in a while, along comes a game that redefines the standard of its genre. Games such as Elite, Indy 500 and Falcon 3 all stand in history, duly recognised in the entertainment software industry as all-time classics. Pinball never really had such an equivalent. That is until now. Pro Pinball: The Web is the signal you've been waiting for to take your imitation pinball games and "scroll" them neatly into the bin. Then run - don't walk - to the phone and place an order for The Web.

It is quite clearly obvious from the moment the music starts pumping and the lights begin flashing that the designers are total pinball fanatics. After several hours of consecutive play, you realise you too, are now obsessed.

The plot of the game is something along the lines of you being a biker guy who engages in a battle to defeat an evil nemesis in a space station high above the planet Earth. This information appears to be omitted from the manual, so thank goodness for online BBS's!

The Web is a DOS based game unlike Sierra's recent "3D Ultra Pinball". However, installation is extremely fast and simple - just a few startup files and the high score tables are kept on the hard disk with all the data files and music remaining on the CD. The music is stored in the Red Book audio format which means you can pop it into your CD hi-fi system and listen to all 20 incredible tracks at your pleasure and convenience. Some tracks are slow, mellow and harmonious, others are jazzy and the rest are performed in real "get up and go" style. Credits for the music go to Jake Burns and Bruce Foxton (ex-Stiff Little Fingers and The Jam).

Still on the subject of sound, the audio effects are out of this world. Flippers give confident mechanical clacks at playback rates of up to 44.1K (CD audio quality). You can decide the quality, depending on the power of your PC and personal preferences. Targets give short switch-like clicks, and balls really do sound like they're nudging the bumpers. There are many other similar mechanical SFX. In addition, over a hundred lines of speech are included, again at superb sample rates which add _tremendous_ depth to the game... all kinds of useful, wacky and humorous lines - in fact with so much speech (from three different people), the game is almost always talking to you. And it's all in stereo. Sounds impressive? You bet.

The table itself was rendered on a Silicon Graphics number-cruncher and it shows - depending on your hardware, you can bounce the ball around the table displayed in resolutions from 640x480x256 up to 1024x768x32768 colours. Yup, 32768... at 60 frames per second! Not only are there choices of resolutions, you can also decide a wide angle/low/high view point from which to play. The Web's table does NOT scroll, and to see the entire table is always an advantage to the player. Reflections of the lamps can be seen glowing on other components of the table, and also in the ball itself as it pounds around the play-field... or balls in fact - up to 6 at any one time.

For those of you thinking that all the best tables have dot matrix displays... absolutely - and The Web is no exception. This game features over 100 different animations rendered in the matrix display. If that wasn't enough, you even have video game modes to enjoy - I've only encountered one so far, but hopefully there are more as the game progresses.

As the information on the box describes, the table also features: "three flippers, two ramps, loops, orbits, targets, grab magnets, drop targets, lights, poppers, habitrails, jet bumpers, slingshots, auto plunger, diverters, sink holes". You even get a ball-saver! Now, to work this pretty little lot, you're going to need pin-point precision from the controls. Don't worry - The Web has it well and truly covered... the ball goes exactly where YOU command it to. If you like, you can even nudge the table from the front, left AND right.

This table features numerous rules - some printed in the manual, some left in secret for you to discover. There are multiple play modes, including Combo Mania, Space Station Frenzy, Bike Race Challenge plus a half-dozen very challenging missions and special hidden features, again left undocumented for you to find yourself. Every success rewards the player with a "Showdown Sphere Collected" message - collect sufficient and it's time for the grand finale, but I can't comment on that since I haven't gotten anywhere near it yet!

As I mentioned earlier in my review, high scores are kept on your hard disk. Several different leagues are stored including overall high score, today's high score, grand champion, buy-in high scores (yes, there are credits/replays/continues), loop champion, combo champion etc etc etc.

I have to say without any hesitation what-so-ever that The Web is a pleasure to play from start to finish - it deserves to be a classic - it has all the main ingredients of any real table, and more. Best of all, it's extremely addictive. The ball physics are superb, the sound and graphics are awesome. There is only one table, but personally, it'll be ages before I tire of it - in my opinion, this one table has _far_ more depth and playability than any other pinball game with all their many tables added together. It's pretty obvious from the title that The Web is intended to be just the first of the Pro Pinball series. If Empire has any sense at all it'll sign these guys and gals up for many future tables - they're a very special talent that absolutely must be looked after.

So, do I have any criticisms? Well yes, of course - nothing's perfect. Regarding the table, some of the colours are a little dark - for instance, I can't see the wood grain on the launch-way that's depicted in the picture on the box. Other details can also be a little dark unless I overdrive my monitor. This ISN'T a big complaint, however - for playability purposes it is fine that the wood grain isn't quite visible. Secondly, the manual is comparatively poor. I would always prefer a hard-copy manual as opposed to Sierra's 3D Ultra Pinball online manual, but in the case of a six-page booklet, there really is no excuse for the number of spelling, syntax and typing errors to be found in it. Finally, I feel Empire really should make an effort to absorb the cost of pre-paid game registration cards.

But, I think you'll agree that if these are the only faults I can find with the game, it must be pretty good. Here's to pinball on your PC - no, this is REAL pinball, on your PC...

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Rating: 9/10 (Classic - Must Buy!)
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