You can't miss in FizzBall, especially in kids' mode.

FizzBall successfully puts new spin on the Breakout style of game, where the object is to eliminate brick walls with a bouncing ball. As Professor Fizzwizzle, you use a fizzball to capture and save cute little animals that have been abandoned on an island. Using a steampunk-style paddle, the professor swats the fizzball at animals, food, and more, but capturing the animals isn't easy -- numerous obstacles block the fizzball's path.

It's up to you to swat your fizzball through the cartoony landscape, breaking barrels, smashing fences, or knocking down animals and fruit from trees. In addition to the animals, you can pick up coins, food, and power-ups that enhance the gameplay, such as a fan that helps you direct the path of the fizzball. The fizzball is occasionally hard to track, and we sometimes lost it during the bonus rounds. We also found that the ball was sluggish for a few seconds after we resumed a paused game.

The game is very kid friendly. There's a kids' play mode that places a barrier below the paddle so the ball will always be in play. The younger set will also like the animal quizzes between rounds, and a kid track with easier levels. There is also the animal sanctuary, where you can see which animals you've collected and check their hunger fund. Coins maintain the hunger fund, and since the animals keep eating even when the game isn't running, you must gather enough coins (by catching them with your fizzball) to maintain the fund.

The bottom line. FizzBall is a great example of a Mac casual game that immerses adults and kids alike.

COMPANY: Grubby Games
CONTACT: www.grubbygames.com
PRICE: $19.95
REQUIREMENTS: 400MHz G3 or faster or Intel CPU, Mac OS 10.2 or later, 128MB RAM, 35MB disk space
Kid friendly. Big variety in levels. High fun-to-price ratio. Universal binary.
Can lose track of ball in some bonus levels. Sluggish ball after pause in game.