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We all know the names DEF, TAK, BTB and that well-known favourite AAA. They're all the guys that you'll find on the high-score tables of virtually every pinball machine from Soho down to Brighton. But how do they manage to get their initials alongside scores that you wouldn't have thought were possible? Practice, my boy, practice. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to have a full-size pinball table in their homes and the little Fisher-Price sets are just too embarrassing to be caught in possession of. Thankfully, pinball games are a dime a dozen on computers; it's just that most of them aren't much cop. 21st Century Entertainment, however, has changed all that. Read on to find out how you can transform yourself from an unpopular geek to an ultra-cool pinball wizard...

Steel Wheel is a tale of cowboys, Indians and railroads. As far as bonuses are concerned, it's almost as complex as Railroad Tycoon. Thankfully, it's a lot easier to play.

Beat Box puts you right in the heart of the music biz. Climb the charts, go on yours and make pop videos, all for massive points, of course.

The Ignition table is the easiest of the four on offer.

The fourth (and most difficult) of the tables is Nightmare. Activating certain bonuses adds an hour to the central clock. When it reaches jackpot, you get a nice fat jackpot.

I don't like pinball. I've never liked pinball, ever since I saw my first table in my local arcade. So why has Pinball Dreams got me throwing people off the Amiga, so I can flip the flippers and light the lights at every available opportunity?

Beats me. What I do know is that it's an excellent pinball simulation. It's classy, professional and beautifully presented. From the superb musical scores that play throughout the game to the sheer speed with which everything moves, it's just such a slick piece of programming.

That said, it is just pinball. Regular Tommys who can notch up a couple of million by merely twitching their eyebrows will no doubt never tire of the product, but for the average Joe, the four tables might seem a little limiting, with most of the features appearing on all of them.

But this leads me back to my initial statement. Why does it have me - a self-confessed average Joe - gnawing at my desk with eagerness to get back and play it some more? It's probably something to do with the 'coolness factor'. Most people are put off playing pinball tables because they're no good.

There's nothing more embarrassing than strolling up to the local Son Of Mega Monster Meets Death Hurdler's Brother Two table and amassing a mighty 20,000 points while the guy next to you has got his fifth 20 million in ten minutes.

Having four well-designed tables in your own home ain't such a bad thing, especially when they're all as playable as these. This is a surprising game, providing well-produced and highly addictive entertainment. At least you have a chance to practise the real thing in the privacy of your own home, where the only person who'll know how bad you are is yourself.