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The much anticipated Amstrad CPC release of Pinball Dreams by Batman Group (BG Games) finally happened on October 1st, 2019 and it was free...!

Initially, BG had hoped the game would see a physical release, but after almost a year trying to get the licence, circumstances made it impossible. So, a free unofficial version (not allowed to be sold) digital file was made available for the sole purpose of honoring this Amiga gaming classic and its original authors.

Pinball Dreams was first released on the Amiga in 1992 by 21st Century Entertainment, receiving critical acclaim and recognition from game reviewers and game players everywhere. The word of mouth about the game was so widespread in a recent post on twitter by @HewsonJoystick it showed that the Amiga Power Gallup game sales charts from 1992, Pinball Dreams had moved from 99 up to number 5 with big orders coming in from Australia, when 21st Century had not even marketed the game there. The game has since been ported onto eleven other systems.

What is there to say about Batman Group that hasn't already been said? If you don't know who they are by now then here is a quick recap. BG are a group of friends mainly from the south of Spain. They formed in the early 1990's first creating demos, such as "The Killing Joke", an Amiga OCS demo which received third place at a Spanish demo party in 1993. It was not until 2009 that they found the motivation to develop games for old platforms which came about from internal debates about which 8-bit computer was the most powerful.

At that time there was a broad consensus that the Commodore 64 seemed like the most complete platform, but Rhino disagreed and started doing routines on his beloved Amstrad CPC, the computer he started programming in his childhood - motivated primarily to win the argument of which old computer is the best. Since then Amstrad fans have witnessed CPC greatness with the Batman Forever demo in 2011 and now with Pinball Dreams.

The Amstrad CPC version of Pinball Dreams contains all four tables found in the original Amiga version. The first table, 'Ignition', is themed around space exploration. The main objectives of this table is to light up all of the IGNITION letters by hitting the three red targets in the middle to obtain a letter.

The table contains a saucer, a couple of bumpers and slingshots but very little else, making it the easiest but least interesting table to play out of the four on offer. 'Steel Wheel' is the second table containing a theme around steam trains from the 'Old West' era and steps things up a bit with broader use of the colour palette and the addition of features such as two large ramps, ball traps, rollovers and three bumpers. As a result, the pinball experience is far more entertaining.

The third table titled 'Beat Box', carrying a music industry theme, is the most feature rich of the four tables with its inclusion of large ramps, a second level, rollovers, ball traps, bumpers and plenty of targets. The main objective is to reach the number one spot in the USA or European music charts to collect a big points bonus.

The final table on offer is 'Nightmare', themed around a graveyard, ghosts and ghouls, portraying a darker aesthetic.

Containing the greatest number of pinball features, 'Nightmare' is the most challenging of the four tables with a very well designed table layout which is sure to test the most ardent pinball wizard.

Controls are strictly a keyboard affair while Pinball Dreams also features multi-player mode of up to eight players and a high score table.

Being able to play the game for free is a wonderful gesture by the developers. The download file includes a pretty fabulous manual too, in PDF format. Reading it made me feel as though I had a physical release of the game. What's not to like? Everything is just a dream: Scrolling is fabulous, so smooth even when playing the game via emulation. The ball movement around the playing screen is fast and accurately captures a true pinball machine, while the flipper reaction speed makes the game wonderfully playable.

Graphics and tunes blow your mind every time you play a game on any of the four tables. Every tune and sound is amazing. Every aspect of the game is in a class of its own. The fun factor though, is what I liked most about the game. Pinball games on 8 bit machines from the 1980's generally were dull to play, Pinball Dreams on the other hand is pure joy, it's just so much fun to play. Multiplayer aspect of up to eight players and the inclusion of a high score table for each of the four pinball tables are also cool features.

When asked to add my name to the high score table I did not see it register in the table. Not sure whether this is a bug or not? For me though, what's not to dislike! However, Louie Dimovski mentions that one thing he misses about the Amstrad port is the exclusion of the synthesized speech found in the original Amiga version. Not only does the speech add to the overall ambience but it was quite handy in letting you know what objective has been triggered, especially with the 'Beat Box' table, without having to try and catch the message displayed in the LED display.

On October 12th, 2019 Batman Group tweeted they had recorded 8,000 downloads of Pinball Dreams in just ten days. I would think this is a record for a CPC game. There is just so much love for this outstanding game, and the reception from gamers worldwide has been incredible. Social media posts about the game have gone viral. All the doubters who said it couldn't be done, all those people who doubted what Batman Group could do have been proven wrong - I never had any doubts. Batman Group have exceeded all expectations.

A cracking game, stunningly gorgeous, a dream to play, with tunes to make your ears sing. A marvellous achievement, an instant Amstrad CPC classic to be loved for years to come. One can only dream of the possibilities of Amstrad CPC games had it been released back in the 1980's. There can only be one overall rating to give - 100%
. I can already sense people disagreeing with me about the rating I have given, but for me, as a CPC freak from the 1980's, it's well worthy of it. Pinball Dreams you are now legendary on the CPC!