It's been named one of the top 5 most addictive game by MSNBC, numerous gaming site have sung its praises, and fanboys everywhere seem to have a major hard-on for Peggle. But I've played the games, and I just don't get it. I LOVE puzzle games. I begged my boyfriend to buy me Bejeweled when it came out for the PS3 (and much to his chagrin he did it--check out the trophies I got!), but I can't get into Peggle. Yeah, it has its addictive qualities: it's easy, you get a little better at it the more you play, there's also virtually no skill required, and whenever you "die" you get to try again with no penalty. This is a game a child could easily pick up and play over and over. So I can see it being popular among non-gamers, with its colorful graphics and whimsical mascots, but I find it hard to believe even someone who calls themselves a 'casual gamer' would admit to actually playing this game.

To begin with, the game has the mechanics of a pinball machine, but unlike pinball (which I love), there is only one world/one character in which you get flippers at the bottom of the screen. The rest of the game all skill and actual 'playing' of the game ends when you fire your ball downwards towards the "pegs." This makes it a great game to play while you're watching a movie, or doing your taxes, because you hardly do anything or have to pay any attention.

The game almost plays itself, and while this has its appeal... no wait, this is NOT an appealing quality in a game. If I wanted to just watch a ball bounce around a colorful pinball-esque screen I'm sure there are youtube videos of pinball that I could watch. If I wanted a game in which I make a move and then sit and wait to see what might happen, with no control over this outcome after the initial 5 second click of a button, well I don't know, I've never played such a dull game. When I fire up a game, I want to actually play the game (novel concept, yes?), not just watch it to see what happens.

Playing Peggle proved a trial of impatience on my part. Once that initial ball was fired, there was nothing to do but wait to see where it would go. I cannot emphasize enough how little actual 'playing' this game affords you. In bonus levels you have choices to pick which character you'll play, each with their own rewards, but this is the first time you have a choice in the gameplay other than where to aim you ball.

Such a simple improvement would be the ability to control the moving target at the bottom of the screen. This moving goal sometimes expands to create a bumper, but most of the time it's just a chance to win an extra ball if your ball happens to fall into the hole. You can occasionally speed up the movement to try to up your chances of a 'hole in one,' but it doesn't work well. If you could control its movements after you launch your ball it would give the game a lot more interaction and allow for a more 'playable' game.

In addition to the time lag between when you actually make a move in the game and when the level ends, there is a ridiculous slo-mo scene at the end of every level where you see 'theatrically' if your ball will hit the last orange peg. Afterwords there is a musical extravaganza with fireworks to celebrate! I have no problem with this, other than that with the simplicity of the game you're seeing this same slow motion scene and hearing the celebratory symphony and seeing the fireworks every 2-3 minutes. It just unnecessarily prolongs an already slow-moving game, and I think this sums up the game and its reputation nicely: a lot of fanfare for nothing.