Here we go again...

Peggle. Peggle peggle peggle. Are you sick of Peggle yet? No? Good! I know that we’ve reviewed Peggle in the past for XBLA, but now, Peggle is back and it’s in your pocket. Sure, there’s not much changed, but there are some minor additions. But is it worth your $4.99? Read on for my take on the latest iteration of this classic.

I’m not going to make a lot out of this. Quite simply, it’s Peggle. If you’re not familiar with the game, take a time out and read our XBLA edition of this game’s review here. It’s cool. I’ll wait. Back? OK. So, the iPhone iteration is just like that. The adventure mode is the same. There’s now a trophy room that will show your accomplishments in a graphical form. It feels like a trimmed version of the picture gallery of Peggle Nights, if you have played the expansion.

While I haven’t spent as much time with Peggle DS, I can easily say that the iPhone iteration is much better than the DS edition. The control via the iPhone touch screen is much more accurate. You can use your finger to point to where you want to shoot, or use a scroll wheel on the side of the screen to fine tune your aim. The zoom feature from DS is present, but is implemented on the iPhone via the familiar double-tap method. Zoomed in mode makes tough shots a little easier, and is a welcome addition. Graphics have also not been scaled down as they were on the DS, and look nearly as crisp as the PC editions.

Multiplayer is, sadly, local only

Peggle iPhone features the complete Adventure and Challenge modes. I was somewhat disappointed to see that there was no additional content, but I wasn’t expecting any. Still, it would have been neat to see some Apple themed levels, in the vein of Peggle Extreme and that game’s Valve Software themed levels. A local multiplayer mode is available, and is similar to the Duel mode on the XBLA version. Unfortunately, there is no wireless multiplayer, but I’ll hold out hope one may be coming after Apple releases the 3.0 software update this summer (note — 3.0 includes facilities for developers to create ad-hoc wireless multiplayer between iPhones and iPod Touches, requiring no additional network connection).

A few minor nitpicks abound. Fever mode does seem to slow the game down a bit, but since it doesn’t have any effect on gameplay, it’s not a big deal. Also, I’m not a fan of locking down the Duel mode and Challenge modes based on completion of Adventure mode. The iPhone as a platform excels at the 5-10 minute game sessions, and it is annoying that it will take more than a few sessions to unlock all of the ad-hoc gameplay. Also, I was unable to capitalize my name on the name entry screen, which was just an odd bug.

I'm still not sick of Jimmy Lighting!

So is Peggle iPhone worth your $5? Absolutely. Peggle is the kind of game that seems perfectly at home on the iPhone. It doesn’t require quick controls, the touch screen fits the gameplay perfectly, and the game is easily digestable in 5-10 minute play sessions. Not like you’ll be able to put your phone away after only 5-10 minutes, no matter how many times you’ve graduated from the Peggle Institute. (But seriously Pop Cap, it’s time for a true sequel, isn’t it?)

Hi Res: Great graphics and sound, fun local multiplayer mode, perfect on the go gaming, well implemented controls, great value for $5.

Low Res: No wi-fi multiplayer, some slowdown in non-gameplay portions, minor bugs.

Verdict: Buy it, worth draining your battery power for.

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