First Light

First Light is a clever game. I have to admit that much. It is a simple concept, but it is very fun and will keep you coming back for more. Unlike most games that record scores, your score rises when you do well, but sinks when you mess up. Keeping a high score requires constant effort.

How does it work? Simple. You control a large white ball. You use the arrow keys to navigate around the screen. You bounce off the walls that frame the playing area. Small white balls appear at random bouncing around with you. If you can hit a small white ball with your large one, you get one point.

At the same time, there are small black balls that are also bouncing around with you. If you hit a black one, you lose a point. The point total is always shown in the center of the screen. It can get real frustrating as you chase down the white balls only to run from the black ones.

In the beginning, there is only one black ball. But each time you hit a white one and get a point, another black ball rolls into the playing area. When you have more than ten points, the playing area is crowded with black balls and navigating to the one white one that can win you a point takes patience, skill, and a quick hand. One small slip, and your point total starts to fall.

In this game, within a few seconds you can go from a personal best record to almost nothing. That's why when you have a large total and you want to end the game and record your score, you press the space bar. Otherwise, the game will keep going forever.