3D Ultra Pinball Thrillride review (PC)

There are also more substantial bonus games in which you're taken to another screen altogether to play another pinball-like game to clear a river for some bumper boats or to build your own roller coaster by hitting buttons that determine its movements.

The graphics are suitable and colorful, though they aren't nearly as detailed as in the Pro Pinball series. Likewise, the physics are fine, but not noticeably realistic. It's clear that 3D Ultra Pinball is meant as nothing more than a fun diversion and not as a hard-core pinball simulation aimed at silver-ball fanatics.

And if Thrillride has a single problem, it's exactly that. As a result, it is simply too easy. My first game lasted more than 30 minutes before I finally quit out, and I was only on ball two. The middle aisle is the only way to lose the ball, and the lack of a challenge makes the game seem a bit tedious. It's no fun to feel as if you'll see everything in the game on one play, which makes Thrillride not very enjoyable. With the exception of one particularly hard ramp, almost everything can be accessed just by constantly banging the flippers. Eventually, you'll hit your goal and get the reward.

Such criticisms might seem harsh in light of the fact that Thrillride clearly isn't designed as a simulation. It's a simple pinball game that's just trying to provide some innocuous fun. And it succeeds to a degree, though the thrills are sporadic and the ride is a bit too short.