Hamsterball

Neverball and Hamsterball are two superb Marble Madness-inspired games from a freeware and an indie developers, respectively.

Your objective in both games is similar: guide a ball (or a hamster-trapped-inside-a-ball in Hamsterball) safely to the exit before time runs out. Although the twelve courses in Hamsterball may sound small compared to over fifty levels in Neverball, each course is huge, spanning many screens that are filled with obstacles and insane (read: addictive) routes.

As befits a shareware game, Hamsterball sports more polished graphics and gameplay, although I feel the $19.99 price tag is a tad too steep. With pleasant graphics and solid gameplay, I find both Neverball and Hamsterball to be worthy of our Top Dog tag. If you don't want to play both games, the choice should come down to what type of ball games you prefer. If you prefer puzzle-oriented Marble Madness clones, Neverball takes the cake.

But if you prefer arcade-oriented games with clever, insidious, physics-defying level designs, check out Hamsterball from Raptisoft - but be warned of potentially high frustration quotient if your reflexes are not up to par. Two thumbs up for both of these underdogs :)

Review By HOTUD