The Roller Controller is a device more commonly known as a trak ball. The unit has a ball similar to a snooker ball in its centre, this is what is used to control the on-screen action. To control your player you simply flick the ball in whatever direction that you want to go. This kind of control is very much suited to the kind of game that requires a pointer or object to be moved around the screen. A good example of this is the first arcade game to use this technique - Missile Command by Atari - some years ago.

The CBS version of the trak ball is a large housing with the ball in the centre and holes for the joysticks to plug into. The joysticks are connected to the controller, which has its own four fire buttons to take the place of the four on the joysticks. There is an adaptor that the power lead to the Colecovision plugs into. This is so the Roller Controller can draw its power from the Colecovision supply and not have to use batteries like the Turbo module. The controller then plugs into the, now vacant, joystick ports. There is a small switch on the front of it that is marked Joystick/Roller, this means that the trak ball can be used to play ordinary games on as well as trak ball dependant games by functioning like a joystick.

There is a game supplied with the device called Slither, there is a full review of this in Video Vying. The action of the trak ball leaves something to be desired after feeling the control of other similar units, but it was adequate to play Slither on.

Overall my impression was that it would be better to have a better joystick than to use a trak ball, but for some games, like Missile Command, a trak ball is absolutely necessary. A nice device but I think it is a matter of personal preference whether one of these will do you any good.