They stand on a pirate ship, two humans and a pair of aliens, the latter wearing knee-high black rubber boots. The list of the ship has little to do with the bowling lane. Remarkably the ball hugs the rough wooden surface, smashing into the skull-capped pins as though on a flat surface.

Aliens and humans, skeletons and … well, let’s refrain from that variation on a cliché. The game is Strike Force Bowling from Lab Rats and Crave for the Xbox. The game sports a rich features package and many different ways to play, but this is a niche game, a minor distraction while waiting to do other things. This is not the type of game that will consume hours upon hours of time camped in front of the television monitor.

Though with six modes of play and eight different venues in a variety of locations, and even different styles of games, it is a sure bet that players will find something here that will entertain them. There is even a unique game or two– such as golf, where you see a series of different pin arrays and the object is to know them all down in as few shots as possible.

There are tournament modes, skins games, open bowling, and practice modes as well.

There are built-in avatars you can rename but are otherwise not customizable, though there are a couple of others you can unlock. The avatars’ movement are a little stilted at times, but the ball movement seems fairly good and the pin physics are also well done.

The game does have some cleverness. If you pick the old West setting, instead of pins, you are knocking down whiskey bottles. The lane over the bridge in China has an Asian theme, from the dragon markings on the ball to the characters used to register the score. In the medieval setting, you are bowling with pumpkins, and if in a single-player mode, your opponent is a skeleton.

The idea to controlling the game does not require a lot of effort. You pick a game and enter the play mode. You can move your bowler from side to side, click to aim, and then click to initiate the action. There are two bars, and both use the sliding bar. You click to try to hit the hot zones on either bar. From there it is simply a matter of timing.

Strike Force Bowling is the kind of game that is a small little time-filler, or a game that the family can gather round to play. It will certainly not consume vast amounts of time. The game does have a few little animation problems, but these are connected to the bowlers and not the game physics. It appears that the ball movement, and pin interaction is solid.

The graphics are rich and three dimensional, but the sound of this game turns quickly from light, upbeat music to an irritating loop that is best left turned down or off.

Strike Force Bowling is not the game that will have you glued to the television set, or rushing home to play. You may pick it up and pop it in when you have a little time to kill and are not looking for that immersive gaming experience. This is a weekend rental at best.
 

Gameplay: 6.8

The game does have breaks for animation sequences and could move at a brisker pace.

Graphics: 6.8

The environments are lush and the ball/pin dynamics are well done. This version, though, is not as bright as the PS2 version of the same game.

Sound: 5.8

The music is upbeat and gets rather irritating within 6 minutes. The rest of the ambient sounds are limited to ball rolling down the lane.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium

The scope of the game is not overly complex, but finding a rhythm can be challenging.

Concept: 7

This game features a nice array of lanes and games that can be played.

Multiplayer: 7

Playing in competition with up to three others is more fun than playing alone.

Overall: 6.5

As a diversion, Strike Force Bowling is an average title that has some stumbles in terms of animation, but otherwise captures the physics of the sport. While the game has some nice gameplay modes, it just lacks excitement and comes across as somewhat bland.