I love this game!!!! LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!!! I don't have it yet on my computer. But I will!!!!

I had the same problem as Tall53. but found a way to run the game, you have to make it run in compatability mode. Right click the game, then click properties, then click compatibility ans then on the drop down have it run in xp service pack 2. You will have to do this each time I think.
Good Luck

i thught the game was free? whydo i only have and 60 min demo i got the game on time whats going on

Same issue as number 3. I downloaded and activated and installed it yesterday. I test it just today and it tells me to run it as admin. So I dop and then it tells me that game is not registered and that I have only 60 minutes to play !?
So I played 60 minutes and uninstalled it. Please be sure that activation system works fine with Vista, it's not the 1st time this issue happens to me from different games (not only alawar games)... :-(

>elfmans/KimH/Jim

Uh, people have posted the solution about a dozen times here. For those of you too lazy to read them, here it is:

Step 1 - Right-click on the game application and set compatibility mode to XP to trick Vista into letting you play it.

Step 2 - There is no step 2. It really is that easy.

I have just Vista Home and the game do not run because of parental control, which makes no sense..most of games from this site will not activate, so no surprise to me anymore

I had the same problem as #3. I'm running Vista Home Premium, I'm the only user of my computer so I'm the Admistrator, yet this game says it can't play until I change parental rights. Weird! Just another problem with Vista I guess.

******************

I downloaded and tried game. I quit game and came back to post message before givaway was over [because i like the game alot].

The graphics are really cool [because they are running at 1440x900 on my computer]!!! very cool! tons of powerups, and xtra weird stuff going on that isnt common with breakouts.

If you like breakouts, arkenoid types games-> this one is definately worth $20. And i dont even play these styles of games.

Excellent game. Fun graphics & not boring like so many of the breakout games. I highly recommend.

the graphics are super , the 3d is great and the action is tremendous and it is another great game by ALawar nothing else can be said . super/

Unfortunately, like many other Alawar games, this one runs choppily, even at minimal graphical settings, and is rendered pretty unplayable, because the low FPS makes it hard to watch the ball - one frame, it'll be on the top of the screen, the next frame, it'll already be halfway down the screen.

Woops ! I have forgotten a word :

IT'S AN ADDICTING GAME !!!

BE CAREFULL.

Hello everybody. The frenchy is speaking.
I love this game.
It's perhaps always another brickbuster game but I LOVE this kind of game.

This game has new bonuses : the plane, the bomber, the mills : there are new and original ideas. The music is a good one.

Thank you for the game !!

I know : there is more better game if you search but this one is good too. Don't comparate with "Ricochet" : you can't, of course...

Got this one already its quite good if your into breaking bricks that are set up so nicely colorful too!!! Collect weapons and powerups like arkanoid great game!!!

#10, I had the same problem, but did what #9 said and it worked. I didn't have to cahnge any parental controls, just change the properties to work with XP service pack 2.

I am running Vista and have not experienced any problems with the screen size by following the above.

Played the game for a while and had no problems. Great graphics, and fun to play. It is a keeper!

Hi Penny comment #51, there's some excellent advice from David #9, Pute #13, Nick #17, FLGal #20, Secularsage #30, Marni #31, Kammy #39 (she says how following the advice from the previous comments worked), and Captain Black #46 with respect to your problem; it’s always worth checking over all of the above comments despite most saying generally the same thing because saying it in a different way sometimes makes more sense. :)

Unfortunately my copy of Vista has been shelved until either the manufacturer of my Motherboard (MSI) releases some forceware to correct the incompatibility issue it has with Vista, or Microsoft release a service pack to fix the problem. So I’m not qualified to help you. I sincerely hope you get it sorted though. If you don’t you could perhaps try the original Strike Ball (v1.21), which despite being slightly retro in looks, its game play is just as good. There are different power ups but generally the majority remain the same. I will give you my copy if you want it because I never play it anymore. Apart from just reinstalling it now to check the level sets I’ve not played it since I bought Strike Ball 2 (but that doesn’t mean it’s not as good). Same thing applies with this giveaway; if I do give it away to you, it will be deleted from my storage disc to ensure it’s legally yours. For my Email, check back to early to mid May as I can no longer post it due to the rules of the site. A big thank you goes to the moderators for allowing me to post it in the first place though because I do realize the dangers with such disclosures, not just for my own security, but for compromising possible new developers from giving to the project, as communication between people can lead to illegal stuff being circulated. I would never knowingly compromise the success of this fantastic site, which cannot be equalled anywhere on the web.. :)

Sorry Lloyd #29, I haven't a clue how to solve your particular problem. :(


Lockett comment #37, if you are willing to pay for one of the expansion packs then there are more music tracks to add to the pot. Check out my giveaway from my first comment #21 as this ‘may’ save you having to purchase one. :)

By the way Magic Man #12, that excellent little tip regarding increasing the ball speed via the .ini file has breathed new life into this old favourite of a game. :D I used to play it a lot a couple of yeas ago, but as with most games even the best can become tedious to play with after awhile. Thanks a lot for the info about tweaking that slow ball, it’s very much appreciated. I’ve added a word doc file with your info into a new file containing the Strike ball 2 Deluxe installation file so that I wont forget in the future :)

Thank you for you kind comments KB999999 #52, as always I don’t expect anything from writing these basic reviews, but reading the odd thank you does make it more worthwhile and makes me feel more positive, simply because I then know that it’s been useful to someone. :) I’m sure everyone who reads this comment would feel the same?

Corrections to my post #21. Because the site was down when I started writing the review I'd checked my bought copy, which it turns out is an earlier version.

Actually there are 29 power-up’s not the 24-25 that I mentioned above in comment #21, the version I originally bought (v2.0) only has 23 power ups. The deluxe version (v2.15) also has the battery, score enhancers, ion cannon, double ball and hexagon as well. I didn't previously have these power ups until I added an expansion pack which it seems has been incorporated into the later version which has been given away today. (I think anyway). Also in the first Strike ball there were three difficulty settings which I cannot find in the latest deluxe version of the game.

The extra 100 levels you get were not from the original game, which I’ve just reinstalled. (I’ve not played it in over 2 years), they were added as a bonus to the original version Strike Ball 2 which only had 100 levels. I’m not sure whether this was from an additional expansion pack that is now incorporated into Strike Ball 2 Deluxe, or whether it was a totally new 100 levels? Not that it really matters; I’m just waffling as my mind is drifting, lol.

Thanks GAOTD, This is the best Breakout type game so far.

Thankfully, I'm using a PC with no *bang-up-to-date-super-duper Vista* that never works properly.
Note to new PC buyers, Get XP installed and gain your processor speed back AND better games compatability!

I just downloaded this game and played it to the 4th level..I like it very much, and had no problems with downloading or installing. Thanks to all for your comments and thanks again to GGOTD for another great game!

Love these breakout games. Read the "readme" Just one question, how do you activate the program before you install it? Shouldn't it be the opposite way around? Thanks for the help. Didn't get full game when I activated before installing. Just a thought. Thanks.

Thank you GOTD and Alawar!!! I missed this the first time around but have heard nothing but good things about this game. Now I've found everyone was right! This game rocks! Thanks again!!

Thanks goes out to comment #21 (Whiterabbit aka Stephen) for all the detailing info. This game looks really fun and when it uses the mouse, it's even better! I have download a few other ALAWAR Games and have been really happy with them. Also, thanks for the Vista updates ... I'll be keeping my XP a bit longer. Thanks!

I LOVE this game!! The only problem I've had is, after activating and set up, as normal, I still get a "DEMO" screen. It says that I only have 60 minutes of play.

What did I do wrong, and how do I correct it?

Also, I have Vista Home and I just right clicked on the desktop icon and changed the compatibility to "XP Service Pack 2" and "Run as Administrator". It loaded fine.

Another very clever breakout game from these people, a clone to be sure, but with some nice twists. A little hard on run-of-the-mill graphics cards such as mine, but fun nonetheless.

Thanks Whiterabbit for the heads-up on the what the battery does, & the other games!!!

>Mort
>savette1

I personally like the Lego-ish graphics.

>guitarzan

Oh, come on, violence? How about gameplay? You could have a really gory match-3 with exploding baby heads instead of popping balloons, but it would still be boring. The games are starting to get better, though.

>Max

I love that game, but the cutscenes are stupid.

To get this working on Windows Vista Ultimate, Click Start, all programs, Strike Ball 2 Deluxe, right click Strike Ball 2 Deluxe, goto the compatibility tab and click Run this program in compatibility mode for: Windows XP (Service Pack 2). Which is the default and click apply then ok. Then have fun playing the game!
Thank you GGAOTD and Alawar!

Will run on WindowsME. Although the Loadup was slow and choppy, thought it was gonna crash, but didn't.

I found that the Control sensitivity setting needed to turned way down to function smoothly. Not sure if this is an issue with WindowsME or ME mouse sensitivity. Ok sorry, sounded funny in my head.

Blockbuster fans should like this.

Man if you can't comes up with something new and that have more violences. I will be more than happy to download.

StrikeBall Seems responsive...but...Graphics are low quality...take off of Magic Ball...may be good for younsters

I was glad to see this game offered today, because I'm starting to get bored with Nuclear Ball and Hyperballoid. :)

This installed without a hitch on XP SP2. Of course it created two extra icons, which always get deleted!

The only problem I encountered was when I tried to go from full screen mode to windowed. I just got a black screen followed by pop up error messages telling me it couldn't create several different files. It ended with a fatal error message and closed.

After playing a couple levels I tried changing mouse sensitivity, and it played a lot smoother.

The graphics seem geared toward little children, and since I don't have any of those, I'll probably not keep the program.

I'd give this game an 8 out of 10 for playability (deductions for windowing lockup and "dead zone" along the sides). I'll give it a 4 out of 10 for graphics because texturing and coloration could make this look a lot better, even given the children's building block layout look. Overall, this equates to a 6 out of ten, which I will then knock down to a 5 because there is no difficulty setting. In other words, this game is "so-so".

Again, thank you very much, AlaWar & GGAOTD. This is a very interesting game. Graphics are very nice. I give this game a 9 out of 10. Keep up the nice games AlaWar, and thanks for letting us have it today for free.
AlaWar anything is good IMOP.
Enjoy the game everyone. If you were reading the posts here wondering if you should download this one ? do it now. I promise you won't be disappointed. I can't answer for Vista, But XP home SP2. works great.

Looks interesting but as mentioned above will not run on Vista. Requires parental rights even in administrator.

Thanks everyone. I knew enough to try changing the compatibility mode to get it to run on Vista. But I didn't know to turn off the UAC. Once I did that I re-installed and it activated without a problem. Now it runs perfectly on my machine.

I find it a great fast paced break-out game. A little harder than Magic Ball, neo ball and robo ball but still quite a bit of fun. It will probably take me a few more levels to figure out all the ins and outs of this game but it was well worth it even with the blip in activation/Vista.

Thanks gamegiveaway and Alawar and once again thanks everyone for the support on here.

# 25 You paranoid or something? Take your meds and go find your quiet place. As far as being grown up, I think I have far more going on in my life than than most, especially you. If someone wants to complain about the games then be mature and let them. Some of these games I actually like for my 8yr old. I can tell by your wording that you're some unfortunate soul that I once put their place on another site, and I'm honored you still remember LOL. So begone and please understand, If I have something to say to you, I'll never hide the fact that I did. Be mature enough without name calling to let others voice their opinions without having you squeek and whine. GGAOTD is a place for commenting on what we think of the games, not an arena for you to play verbal volleyball. Go to the teen sites for that kind of behavior.

>Ernie LaVallee

I actually like this game. As Secularsage said, the ball control and speed are excellent, and the level design is ingenious, too, in my opinion(when was the last time that you played a Breakout game where some of the bricks could actually fall on you? Brilliant!). I found no issues with the space between the bricks and paddle, but I can see how someone else could. My only explicit complaint is that there's only one music track, and that it gets old after a while; although there are other annoyances - score bonuses are marked with both dollar and Euro signs, and one of the powerup messages sounds like it came from my spam folder(Size PLUS!).

It worked fine on Vista(I actually downloaded it and ran it before anyone had posted comments), and I would have reviewed it earlier had the site not been down. Overall, I give this game a seven out of ten(it would have been an eight at least, but having to trick Vista by using Compatibility Mode was annoying, and I can't forget that powerup message).

#30 I have UAC turned off because I don't like being treated like a baby and being asked continually if I want to do something - of course I want to do it, why else would I click on it!! What is the useless Windows Defender supposed to be for?

Having UAC turned off does not let you run this game in Vista - it will only run in compatability mode.

Well installed fine here but i am using Vista too and even though i have set it to Xp sp2 it will not activate at all! Oh well this is only the first time i've had a problem with anything i downloaded from here so i'm not complaining!

I have a NEW idea for a true 3D brick-game: not just let the racket go horizontal, but also go vertical. And let the ball bounce not only in 2 but in 3 dimensions. That would add a whole new challenge to the game. Wich programmer wants to take this challenge?

LOL @ the bomber plane within the game... :-)

Very nice 3D breakout.

It combines the better bonus system of MagicBall 1 and the better graphics of MagicBall 2.

Although the graphics of MagicBall 2 are better, IMO, the bonuses available in Strike Ball 2 Deluxe beat the bonuses in MagicBall 1 & 2 with a landslide.

And after the fun of watching and discovering the bonuses in Strike Ball 2 Deluxe, you have one fine 3D Breakout game.

Thank you GGOTD and Alawar Entertaiment. Thumbs up.

Great break out game and thanks for the tips on the compatability tip to change it to Windows XP SP 2 had the same issue with the parentualcontrol.

It seems that this game must have an unusual setting relating to security. When it was offered Dec. 12 of last year, some people (myself included) had trouble installing it. I found that comment #10 by TK helpful in finally resolving the issue and ended up bookmarking the page so that I could refer to it in the future. http://game.giveawayoftheday.com/strike-ball-2-deluxe/#comments

Rob, who posted comment #6 today, is my brother. I did send him the same instructions, as he is having the same problem with the limited- access that I had last year.

#17 said "To all that are having admin issues with vista. If you disable the UAC (user account control) in control panel\user accounts, you will be able to gain full admin rights to your computer without having any popups saying otherwise. Just make sure you have an admin account"

Vista users, I would advise AGAINST this, as UAC is meant to protect you from malware by preventing you from operating as a superuser at all times. Instead, go to the game directory (default C:\Program Files\Alawar\StrikeBall2Deluxe), find the file you use to launch the game (StrikeBall2Deluxe.exe), right click on it, and then select "Properties."

Click on "Compatibility," and select two options:
1) "Run this game in Compatibility Mode for (then select Windows XP SP2)"
2) "Run this game as an administrator."

That way, you will be able to play the game, and you WON'T be turning off a useful security feature.

Hi Everyone:
Okay, I've never had any problems running any games from this site, but I'm having a problem running this program (under Windows XP Home, SP2 installed). My problem is that when I start the game, a screen comes up asking me to "Create a player...and it won't accept imput from my keyboard. I type, but nothing appears on the screen. Nor will the game allow me play without entering a name... Catch 22, personified! I've tried deleting/re-installing the program; shutting down and re-starting my computer; changing the compatability settings, all to no avail. Any ideas on how I can overcome this problem? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Lloyd

Just a note, folks -- Alawar is the PUBLISHER, not the DEVELOPER, of this title. People seem to get confused on that front.

I had a hard time judging this game on its own merits because I just played Roboball two days ago, thanks to GGOTD. Both games are pretty similar, though this one has more of a military feel to it and the ability to blow stuff up on a larger scale. Roboball fell a little more polished to me, but both games play similarly.

My complaint about both titles is that the distance between the bumper and the first row of bricks is too small -- if I get a multiball going too early, it's impossible to keep up because the balls don't have far to go before they're off the screen, and they often spread out quickly. The game fields need to be stretched out a little bit more so there's more of a "gutter" between the bumper and the bricks. I'd refer the developer to the original breakout games, as well as to games like Arkanoid.

I'd give this one a 7/10. It's fun and has plenty of variety, but it's also frustrating and difficult at times due to the design. I'm not sure I'd play it past the trial period, but it's worth downloading for free.

Vista is the proverbial pain in the butt!! It does work under 'compatability' mode though!

I have to say GGOTD it is a brilliant 'Breakout' game and thank you Alawar - the graphics and power ups are great! I like games that you can up the resolution to the max that your system will take and this is one of them!

Brilliant, brilliant!

Missed this one the first time around, and I'm glad I caught it this time. It's a great "new" brick buster that I'm enjoying a lot. At first glance, it looks more or less like the usual ones, but has some neat features that the others don't. Great power-ups that are easy to identify- I don't find myself squinting at them and wondering what they're going to do. Well, I take that back, a little. What the battery does, I can't really say. Colourful, imaginative...two thumbs up for me. Thanks Alawar and GGOTD for another excellent giveawy.

Phil(#7): If you're going to pretend to be someone else you should at least try to spell their name right. I'll bet you and Lockett sat up all night giggling, waiting for the giveaway to change. Grow up, and leave the comments to the adults, O.K.? There's plenty of kiddie sites for you two on the net.

Hey, I just wanted to let all you microsoft haters out there know that there's a better alternative: Linux. You won't be able to play most of these games, but it almost never locks up. If you just want to use a computer for typing, web browsing, research, etc. Linux works fine. Linux is an open-source operating system, which means it's free. You can get a good version of it at www.debian.org . You'll most likely want the i386 option. If you have an extra hard drive laying around, this would be a great way to use it. I currently use Linux, and its far better than widows IMO.

I am getting sort of tired of all this brick games.

To Magic Man, comment #12. when the battery power is full you activate it to create an earthquake that destroys about 30% of the bricks on the field. (left click I think) I'd forgotten about that one in my review above.

Thanks for an excellent review of the game. I have to agree about it's playability compared to virtually all of the later 3D arkanoids with respect to ball speeds. Most of them you cannot lose. The other one I'd recommend is Action Ball Deluxe, which also has an expansion pack that adds new robots 5 new bosses and some power ups as well.