Pop Cap Games, the original creators of Bejewelled released another colourful rainbow explosion of a game - Peggle Deluxe in 2007. It's just as frustratingly addictive as Bejewelled and will steal hours of your time without you even realising it.

Once upon a time Peggle was just on the PC but it is now on every platform you can think of. Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Playstation 3 and most smart phones these days. Unfortunately this version of Peggle is only available to Download from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Gameplay:

Single Player consists of 55 levels, each of which is filled with 100 pegs, 75 blue and 25 orange. The aim of the game is to clear the 25 orange pegs within the level to proceed to the next, you must do this without running out of balls if you fail to do so you will have to restart the level from scratch. You destroy the pegs on each level with a ball launcher which is located at the top of the screen. The ball bounces from peg to peg dependent on the angle at which you shot it. When you hit pegs they light up and dissapear at the end of the shot when the ball either falls from the screen or lands in the ball catcher or "bucket" which goes from side to side at the bottom of the screen.

There are 10 Peggle Masters throughout the single player adventure each of them has a special ability including a Beaver who releases Multi Balls, a Dragon who breathes fire through pegs and loads more. You use each of the peggle masters abilities to your advantage and help you complete the levels. Once you have completed the main adventure there are 5 extra levels which let you choose a Peggle Master of you're choice to complete them.

The first few levels are a breeze and ease you into the game nicely but as you get deeper into the levels they start to challenge you more. The harder the levels get the more you need to think before you shoot, it's all about angles and timing your shot just right. I dread to think how many hours I've spent on Peggle to be honest, I always go back for more even when it frustrates the hell out of me, I'm a bit of an addict. I've had friends who made fun of me for playing something so "girly" but when I've asked them to download the trial they themselves have become just as addicted as me so they're left eating their own words. I've played the version on the iPhone which is almost identical but I prefer having a controller in my hand and a bigger screen in front of me as I can angle my shot better than trying to do it on such a tiny screen.

There are other ways to enjoy the Peggle experience, you can choose Quickplay from the main menu which lets you choose from any of the levels in the single player adventure to play, this is a good way of practising your Peggle skills. If you're really getting the hang of the game you can even go head to head against the Peggle Masters in - Master Duels - which you can choose from in the main menu. They start off quite easy but do get extremely tricky towards the end, I still have a few to complete myself and I've had the game for over a year and a half.

Next on the list of Peggle-icous action is the Challenges. These have been the biggest drain on my time, as they're so bloody difficult! The first few of course are nice and easy, luring you into a false sense of security thinking they will be a breeze but this sucks you in and gets you hooked and you can't put down the controller. There are 75 challenges to complete and each one is different from the last. Challenges could be to gain a certain score on a level to progress to the next, or it could be to complete the level with a limited amount of balls. Your skills will be tested and your knowledge of each Peggle Masters skills, you can choose to be any of them on each challenge level, it may take you a while to complete certain challenges as you may need to try and test each level with various characters.

Last but by no means least is the multiplayer, which extends the already addictive playability of the other play types. This time however, you can go head to head with other Peggle addicts over Xbox Live, or you can challenge a friend on the same console in a duel. You can host your own "Peggle Party" which has you battle against up to 3 other people over Live, or just go one on one against another player over Live. Here you can show off your skills, or be shown up, I've put in so many hours on Peggle but I still get my butt handed to me from time to time online.

As you can see from the mammoth length of this section of the review, there really is so much to do on Peggle, it's excellent value for money.

Graphics:

Smooth, bright and so colourful it starts to burn into your eyes, you may need to turn down the saturation settings on your TV as this one's pretty darn bright. OK so I'm exaggerating slightly but it is a pretty bright game. Graphically it is smooth, polished and as cute and colourful as a bucket full of rainbows and bunnies. You

Sound:

The sounds in game are kind to your ears, for the first few hours anyway, but after a while hearing the same sounds and music does get a little annoying. I tend to switch off the sound and put my own music on in the background on the Xbox.

Longevity:

This game has it in my opinion, there are hundreds of levels to play and hours of fun to be had. As I said earlier in the review, I dread to think how many hours I've spent on Peggle. Some of it has been frustrating but at least I know I've had my moneys worth with the game. The challenges have been the most draining on my time, and I've still got some left to do but they just get so difficult towards the end.

Not only are there hundreds of levels and challenges to complete, but there is so much fun to be had on multiplayer. The game also has downloadable content to keep your addiction for Peggle alive.

Downloadable Content:

This comes in the form of Peggle Nights, which costs 400 microsoft points. I'm not sure on prices for other platforms. Peggle Nights consists of a brand new single player adventure, new characters and a new set of even tougher challenges.

Overall:

This game is definately worth a buy, I purchased it for 800 microsoft points which is around £6.50 or so. I also bought the Peggle Nights downloadable content which cost me another 400 points. All in all it cost me around £10 and I've still not completed all the challenges, they're just so damn hard. I've completed the 90% of the challenges on the original Peggle, I must be a sucker for punishment though as I keep going back for more and I swore to myself that I will complete them one day. The game is just so frustratingly addictive, the only downside is the music gets a bit tedious if you're stuck on the game for a fair while but I just put on some of my own music in the background so i don't notice it that much anymore.

The game has variety, great playability for all ages and lots of longevity. With hundreds of levels, god knows how many hours of enjoyment and online multiplayer this game has it all. OK so it may not be for the hardcore gamer as there's no blood, guts and guns, but there's still hours of fun to be had for anyone and everyone no matter what you're into.