Arkanoid: Doh It Again

Classic Breakout never gets old, and Arkanoid: Doh It Again is shining proof of that. This game from Taito brings the tried-and-true ball-bouncing principle to the Super Nintendo and adds one key trump card: mouse support.

The heart of the game stays faithful to the legacy of the legendary Arkanoid. You control a paddle (the ship Vaus) at the bottom edge of the screen, bounce the ball, and gradually smash the bricks above you. The goal is to clear each level, with the pace and the ingenuity of the brick layouts gradually increasing and forcing you into ever more precise bounces.

The most interesting feature is precisely the option to play with the SNES mouse. Whereas with a gamepad the paddle's movement is inherently limited, the mouse offers smooth, instant control that makes bouncing extraordinarily precise. For a game of this type, where every millimetre and split second counts, it's an ideal match, and the game gains a noticeable edge in accuracy over traditional controller input.

The genre's proven kit is here too: falling bonuses that widen the paddle, add balls, slow the game down, or equip the ship with a gun. These power-ups bring pleasant variety and a tactical layer to an otherwise simple concept, since not every bonus is useful in every situation.

Arkanoid: Doh It Again is at its core a pure, addictive arcade game built on a timeless principle. It doesn't try to reinvent the wheel; instead it perfects a proven formula and, thanks to mouse support, offers one of the most precise ways to play Breakout on a console.

Why play it: For the timelessly addictive ball-bouncing of the classic Arkanoid, which with SNES mouse support offers extraordinarily precise control.