SockOut Review

Program Requirements:
Device:
Compatible with SH3 and MIPS Palm size PCs. Needs 74k of RAM.

SockOut by Field Software is a Breakout style game for your Palm size PC.  You use your stylus to control a paddle at the bottom of the screen which keeps the ball in play. The object of the game is to knock out all the bricks and accumulate points before you lose all your balls.This game is very fast paced and requires good hand eye coordination.  Luckily, one of the options of the game that you can change is the ball speed. I had to actually set it at the lowest setting on my Casio E10 because it was too hard to play otherwise.  It would be nice if there was even a lower setting available. 🙂 Using your stylus to control the paddle is pretty easy. You can either drag your stylus horizontally across the bottom of the screen, or you can tap the location where you want the paddle to go and it will automatically jump there.

A nice feature of the game is that you don’t have to actually have the stylus point on
the paddle to move it. You can drag or tap your stylus anywhere along the bottom of the
screen. This is a BIG plus because you won’t obstruct your view of the paddle and ball
this way.  The graphics of the game are well done and I had no trouble following the
ball around the screen even when it was moving at top speed.

There are two things that make this game more interesting than most breakout clones. One is the addition of ‘Fun Bricks’. When your ball hits one of these bricks, different actions can occur. Your paddle can enlarge or shrink, the ball speed might increase etc. There are 13 different ‘Fun Bricks’ available.The other feature is the fact that your paddle will rise to the top of the screen as you clear away the lower bricks. This makes the game a little challenging because it shrinks the distance between the paddle and the top of the screen requiring you to make quick moves with the paddle. SockOut has 25 different screens of bricks to knock out and each game gives you 5 lives.  This is a fun game that has good graphics and sound effects. If you like quick action games, you’ll like playing this one.

A demo version is available that will give you one level to play as a taste of the full
game.

Price: $19.95

Pros:
Entertaining
Easy to learn.
Good graphics and sound effects.

Cons:
Need even slower settings.