Godax has released the first Arc version of Arkanoid: Fireball. There's really not much difference between it and the original. However, being on the Arc, there's potential for better colours and so on.

For anyone who missed all the BBC micro versions of Breakout and Arkanoid, the game is basically a spruced up variation of bat-n-ball. Inside a two-dimensional arena, you control a bat at the bottom of the screen. Using the mouse, it can be moved left or right. The ball bounces off the walls until it comes back to the bottom again, and if you aren't there to knock it back up, you lose a life. Of course, there aren't just walls to deal with; an array of bricks are arranged around the arena.

You have to destroy the bricks with the ball. However, some special bricks are invisible, some need to be hit twice, others are immovable and a few even drop bombs. Some drop bonuses, which can slow you down, or increase your firepower. Some capsules give you lasers, and also a 'plough' mode, where the ball only bounces off the walls with your bat destroying all the bricks in its path.

There is a pleasant background music track that sounds good through headphones, and a nice graphic background for the arena. The disc also contains a screen designer for your own levels.

Control of the bat with the mouse is too sensitive, and when you die, nothing much happens - the game just continues with one fewer life. But I very much enjoyed playing Fireball and recommend it to Arc owners looking for a Super-Breakout.