by Rich Cunningham

Pinball machines always held a mystery to me. Not so much as how they worked, but how to win. I only had to look at a machine, and it tilted on me. I never had a high score that I can remember, and I probably never will.

With the release of the new Disney Interactive title, Timon and Pumba's Jungle Pinball, my usual success continued. I just couldn't get them flippers to flip fast enough. As for tilting the machine, well, my desk is too big to move, so at least I didn't tilt out. This title is one of several that Disney is releasing as part of their value-priced entertainment software. Prices are expected to be at $14.99 or below, which will give the buyer an excellent return on the value of their money spent. The titles of this series of software, called Disney's Hot Shots, features the latest hits from the studio branch of Disney, The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Timon and Pumba's Jungle Pinball is a very simple game. It is pinball, pure and simple. In it, the player uses a plunger to set a ball in motion, and then by using flippers, keeps the ball in play and bouncing around the machine, scoring points. What sets this version apart from all others is the high quality animation and sounds that is designed to take advantage of today's multimedia platforms. There is a running commentary from Timon and Pumba, encouraging and distracting the player from winning the game. All parts of the game are as if the game was set in Africa. The plunger to set the ball in play is a snake coiled up, there are mud holes and trapdoors all over the place. Animals abound and the scenery changes quite often. The game was very easy to learn, as the emphasis is on playing and having fun, not studying a manual to learn intricate moves that usually don't work (at least in my case they don't).

The highlight of the game for me was the graphics and sound. It was like watching a full-screen Disney cartoon. The sound was very appropriate, and not intrusive, but complemented the mood of the game.

With so many game playing field variations, the program would offer a new screen just about everytime it is played. It ran with no problems, and installed flawlessly under Windows 95. Documentation is included on the box, but it is possible to just pick up the game and play. It has a very intuitive and user friendly interface.

So the next time you are in the mood for a program that is just pure fun and recreation, whether it is for 20 minutes or two hours, this would be a fun one to try. Sorry, gotta go, my kids are taking over the computer.

Hakuna Matata