Not too long ago Game Tunnel reviewed the game Break Ball 2 and gave it wonderful praise. Soon after our review, the game was re-released with a new title an more than a few changes. The first thing you'll notice as you check out the new version is the change in the game's graphics. BCSoft has rebuilt the game engine so that instead of running a 2D engine with DirectX the game is actually running through OpenGL.

The new 3D graphics and ball effects are a very nice touch that add to the game greatly, though you may find yourself blinded at time by a dozen light maps if you have multiple balls bouncing around the screen. Break Ball 2 Gold also features much smoother, though faster game play with the new version. Balls and bricks bounce easily as they move across the screen. The much heralded moving brick boards which move about in amusing and fascinating patterns have all been kept in this version as has the ability to create your own boards and upload or download board sets from the website.

A major subtraction from the game was the removal of NetPlay. The network option was deemed by BCSoft to not have gained enough interest for it to be carried on into this version. A minor addition was the addition of Beach Balls. These balls give you something extra to lose your concentration on as you hit your ball. Each beach ball will bounce off of your paddle 10 times increasing your score as long as you don't let it fall off of the screen. Break Ball 2 Gold packs plenty of punch, carrying on the key feature of different paddle types with different abilities that was introduced in the first version, fantastic music and adding even more brilliant graphics. While it is a difficult game that requires fast reflexes, it is definitely a leader in the much maligned (sadly unappreciated?) genre of arkanoid clones.