Peggle

 Review

Common Sense Media says

One of the best downloadable puzzlers of the year.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is a refreshingly simple puzzle game that can be enjoyed by players as young as 4 and as old as 104. There's no inappropriate content whatsoever. The cartoon characters, which are usually animated animals, are cute and friendly and the sound effects are adorable. There's no spoken dialogue or risqué music. This puzzle game won a Zeeby Award for being one of the best casual games in 2007. It is available as a downloadable game as well as boxed.


What's it about?

You might not understand the appeal when you first launch PEGGLE, a hot "casual" computer game from PopCap Games, but give it 20 minutes and you won't be able to put your mouse down. The idea behind this downloadable try-before-you-buy puzzler is a simple one: Fire a silver ball at the top of the screen in a given direction and watch as it falls toward the bottom like an old Pachinko carnival game. With only a predetermined number of balls per level, you must hit all the orange pegs spread out among the mainly blue ones. The ball bounces from one peg to another, like a pinball hitting a bumper.

Catch the ball in a moving bucket that glides back and forth horizontally at the bottom of the screen and you'll be awarded with a free ball. The goal is to clear all the orange pegs before you run out of balls. That's it –- but the strategy lies in shooting the ball so that it hits the desired pegs and bounces to hit other orange pegs -- or blue pegs you need to clear to make a path to more orange ones. Pegs are laid out in specific shapes, such as a car, a person's face, or aquarium. The pegs are often animated, such as rotating wheels on a bicycle in front of an attractive 2-D backdrop.


Is it any good?

 

The "wow" factor kicks in just as you finish the level. As the silver ball moves toward the final peg, the "camera" zooms in for a slow-motion close-up and a drumroll climaxes into Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" from Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Opus 125. Then, the silver ball falls into one of five bonus prize values, ranging from 10,000 points to 100,000 points, followed by fireworks and a rainbow. Now this is how to reward a gamer for a job well done. Levels are segregated into themes -- such as Space, Halloween, or Nature -- featuring a unique character at the top of the screen and a power-up that is activated when a green peg is hit. In the underwater level, for example, hitting a green peg causes pinball flippers to appear (in the shape of lobster claws) on each side of the screen to help keep the ball afloat.

Along with the main Adventure mode and its 55 increasingly challenging levels, the game also offers a Quick Play mode (play any previously completed level); a Duel mode for you to compete in head-to-head matches (against a friend on the same PC or against the computer); and the Challenge mode with 75 additional puzzles to tackle. Do yourself a favor and give Peggle a chance -- it might not grab you by the lapels at first, but give it a few minutes and you won't be able to pry yourself away from the computer.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about how refreshingly simple this game is – it's a cinch to pick up -- no matter your age. What makes it so good? What is your favorite puzzle game?


This review was written by Marc Saltzman
Adult
May 30, 2009
 
Fun and addictive for kids of all ages!
I am a 21 year old, and I think it's fun for everyone! For the family, or just for your 5 year old. Ages 5 - 555 XD! My cousin, a 6 year old, plays it all day long. The only Peggle that is bad for children is a game called Peggle Extreme based off of the Orange Box games and encourages violence, but this is different! I would say 5 and up, because anyone younger except the 2 year old genius wouldn't understand.

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Teen, 17 years old
January 24, 2010
 
Peggle
This is one of my favorite games. The xbox live version though. It's the same game, just on a different platform. Download the demo.

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Teen, 16 years old
June 25, 2010
 
Best... game... EVER!

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Educator and Parent
May 11, 2012
 
Learning3
Best game ever!
It's so addicting I played it for hours at a time! It rocks!

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This review was written by Marc Saltzman
Platforms:Windows
Available online?Not available online
Genre:Puzzle
Developer:PopCap Games
Release date:August 5, 2008
Price:$19.99
ESRB rating:NR

This review was written by Marc Saltzman

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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