Build your own pinball table on DS with Powershot Pinball Constructor

With only two companies in the entire world still manufacturing tables, it looks as though pinball may well go the way of the dodo. And it's not just the hulking bar-based pinball machines that have suffered a decline; compared to the days of 16-bit consoles, pinball hasn't been the feature it once was on the console front, either.

Which is why the announcement of Powershot Pinball Constructor for the DS is a welcome one – it looks as though it may have the necessary bells and whistles (oh, how we pun) to give the genre the shot in the arm it sorely needs.

As the title suggests, Powershot Pinball Constructor is not just a pinball table stuffed into a handheld console, but rather a whole factory floor of them, complete with all of the gubbins needed to construct tables of your own via the in-game table editor.

Better still, you can share tables created with the editor with other players via wi-fi. There will also be a selection of pre-designed tables to be enjoyed straight out of the box, to fire your imagination.

Our chief worry at this stage is how easy to use the table editor will prove, but assuming that the DS's touchscreen is suitably implemented then who knows, perhaps Powershot Pinball Constructor might be the game to put pinball back on the agenda.

Powershot Pinball Constructor is expected to be released in June. Click 'Track It!' to be pinged news of any forthcoming review.