Digital Pinball: Last Gladiators

Last Gladiators is so legit that when you slip it into your Saturn, you'll be hble to see the late 70s clearer than your hand in front of your face. Your hair will grow longer, the Who's "Pinball Wizard" will be playing loudly in the background, you'll be wearing a Boston baseball T-shirt and your trusty Camaro will be waiting out in the arcade parking lot. It's that cool. Last Gladiators is a stone-cold simulation of true arcade Pinball, down to the effects of gravity on the ball and the ability to shake and tilt the machine. "Big deal," you shrug. "Who cares about pinball?" When it's this good, everybody should. There are five different machines and all of them are challenging and addictive. It's easily the best pinball sim on a home system ever.

The only thing that kept this from being a 10 is the fact that it isn't a pinball machine. Last Gladiators is a picture perfect pinball sim complete with all of the authentic sounds, colors and ball physics that make pinball what it is.

The ball physics need to be touched on more.They are brilliant. Every little nuance of ball movement is properly depicted; you won't be able to see a difference between this version and a real machine.

Table design is also done to perfection.The game has four different pinball machines, the hardest being the Samurai table. All of the ramps and drop chutes are placed correctly, and a solid rhythm on the players' part will be rewarded with long, enjoyable games with high scores.

If Kaze were smart, it would take this engine and convert classic tables to disc, like Addams Family, Earthquake, and Cyclone. This is truly a must for pinball fans and Saturn owners.