FACE it: Pinball diehards, the people who like standing around in a dark, smoky room for their fix of tabletop upper-limb workout, will always be around.

For these and all other pinball fans, there's now Pinball Hall Of Fame: The Williams Collection.

It's an art recreating the pinball experience in a video game. The real pinball machines - unlike Windows 3D Space Pinball - leans heavily on the laws of physics to make slip-sliding the metal ball into the goal an exercise in triumph or frustration.

Programmed around 10 machines from pinball manufacturer Williams, this game throws you into an arcade simulation mode. You'll have to earn tokens through playing in tournaments. Having enough tokens lets you buy a free-play option for a machine so you can play it as much as you want.

Credit must go to the makers for the accurate reproduction of real-world physics in this game. And if you're skilful enough, you can perform stunts like juggling the ball with your flippers.

While I had some problems getting a feel of the machines at first, the narrated tutorials helped a lot. It's like having someone tell you where to shoot the ball in order to score.

Pinball Hall Of Fame: The Williams Collection isn't for everyone as there are probably other pinball video games that you can indulge in. But if you've spent your pocket money playing on the real McCoys before, this game will take you down memory lane.

By Valentine Chua, a gamer who still plays Windows 3D Pinball