AMF Bowling Deluxe

If you enjoy 10-pin bowling but aren’t a fan of wearing those clown shoes, then AMF Bowling Deluxe is certainly worth playing.

This bowling simulator is quite an entertaining programme, allowing you to choose initially from three characters with their own attributes, one who’s pure power, another which is mostly control, and another who’s a bit more of a balanced player. I say initially due to the fact you can unlock players by playing the game and beating your opponents.

The object of the game is as simple as it gets – to win! And you don’t win any prizes for guessing just how to do that, but should you be unfamiliar with the game, it’s by knocking down as many pins as you can. As with normal 10-pin bowling, you have 10 skittles and two throws per go. To achieve the best score you must try to get a ‘strike’, where you manage to sink all the pins in your first throw. Should you knock all the pins down in two attempts you’ll score a ‘spare’, and lastly, you score a point for every pin you manage to topple.

For a quick game, you have only six rounds to try and score a maximum. Alternatively if you have more time and patience, you can give the tournament mode a go. In this mode, you have the standard 10 rounds and you compete against one other opponent. If you like, you can also play the Precision game, where you’re challenged to strike specific pins. Additionally there’s the option to play ‘Duck Pins’ which means you play with smaller pins and use tiny balls. Lastly, if playing the computer’s losing its charm, then you can ‘Pass and Play’, to compete with friends and family.

Controls are simple, choose the line you wish to travel by moving your player and target from left to right. Then when satisfied hit the ‘ok’ button and you’ll then have the chance to add spin to your throw (again by pressing left or right). Lastly, it’s the power of the bowl itself, which is done by timing the swing of your bowlers’ arm. Despite the simplistic control, getting a strike seems nearly impossible to achieve. After several attempts, I could only manage getting a handful of spares myself (which is pretty true to life!)

In terms of appearance, the characters all appear to have quite an attitude. From their hairstyle to the way they dress and of course all their amusing names, they all have quite a personality. As touched upon previously, it’s not all about appearance and attitude, it’s rather more important for you to look at each players attributes (which are split into two key elements, power and control). So you can choose a player who suits your style of play best, whether it’s brute force you use to knock all the pins down, or pinpoint control which is your forte, you can practice these and take them to the world.

On the downside of this game, the graphics which are quite good are a little blocky and the way the pins don’t quite fall as they would do normally, make the game a little unpredictable and frustrating at times. I’m not just saying that as someone who’s failed to get all pins down in one, but if you’re looking to ricochet the pins off the wall to knock down the others, you’d probably be better served trying to just aim at the main bulk of the pins instead of trying to be too clever.

Rating 84%

Positives

Good appearance and music

Challenging and pretty entertaining (especially if you’re trying to get a strike)

Plenty of different games to keep you occupied

You can unlock players and lanes for more addictiveness

Negatives

Repetitive and animations can’t be switched off but can be part skipped through

Competitors aren’t that good at playing so truthfully you only have to try beating your own score