Ballblazer

Programmed by Lucasfilm Games
Software house Activision

Reviewed by Robert Caporetto

Considered to be one of the best sports games available on the C64, and also a near direct port from the Atari 800 (known as Ball Blaster), BallBlazer puts you in the seat of a Rotofoil, competing in the final round of the Interstellar Ballblazer Conference.

The basic concept of Ballblazer is similar to many other sports games: score the most goals in the three minute time limit, or be the first to score 10 goals (thereby locking your opponent out of the game). The action takes place on a large playfield (looking like a chessboard), bordered by a energy field, preventing the ball from leaving the field, and as well the goals are constantly on the move, and reduce in size as the match progresses.

Throughout the game, you'll find that its a constant war of attrition between the two players, as their fight, spin and blast the ball into the goals, which compared with the game Hyper-Bowl (which came a year later), shows where that title got its basis from. For such an early release, the 3D playfield is amazing, with the ball and the player's Rotofoils gliding smoothly over it, with a split screen to accomidate the multiple players competing.

The SFX aren't that impressive, being rather rough sounding, but the title tune, which is actually randomly generated through the pattern of victories through the game's execution, and like I mentioned earlier, the playability is sweet. A true classic for sporting games (the 98% ZZap gave it serves true!).

Ballblazer is a must download, regardless of what genres you enjoy, with the action being fast enough for arcaders, and a good long-term challenge for sports freaks. Download today, and remember: There's only one regulation match: Three minutes, Two Players, One Victor! Ballblazer can be found on the C64 Classics pages.

Overall: 9.4/10 A stand-alone classic in both sports and C64 games in general, with and excellent design and implementation, and excellent long-term playability against a friend.