The Amiga version of Atari Games‘ classic arcade game, Marble Madness, was converted by Larry Reed and published by Electronic Arts in 1986. It is one of those relatively early 16-bit ports that is a little rough around the edges, presentation-wise, but plays perfectly well.

Using either a joystick, a mouse, or a trackball, the aim is to roll a marble through a series of tortuous, hazard-filled courses – against a strict time limit – and to reach the goal in the fastest possible time. The quicker you finish a course the more time you’ll have carried over to the next course, which becomes more and more important because the courses get more and more difficult.

There are only six different courses in Marble Madness, so the game does have limited longevity. But the courses may take some time to complete as they become increasingly longer and more complex. The nuanced, physics-based gameplay definitely has a “just one more go…” quality to it and Marble Madness is a game that has been designed to be re-played over and over for the player to improve their performance.

This Amiga port has all of the important features of the arcade game, like the finely-tuned inertia, the animated waves, the secrets and bonuses, the atmospheric graphics, the recognisable tunes, and the weird enemies. The in-game text boxes and the main menu screen are sloppily-designed and amateurish-looking, which is the only real criticism I have of the general look of the game. The controls and gameplay are authentic, though, which is the main thing. Marble Madness on the Amiga is bare bones, but playable and still fun.

More: Marble Madness on Wikipedia