Punch Ball Mario Bros. really makes the rounds, being available for so many platforms. I've played it on my FM-7, MZ-1500, SMC-777C, and X1 Turbo Z, and now I can add PC-8001mkII to that list. PC-8001mkII definitely seems like the most underpowered computer I've witnessed playing it on, but paying attention to the differences is part of the fun for me.

If the game looks "off" to you, you're probably not familiar with Punch Ball Mario Bros. Killing your enemies is not a matter of bumping them from underneath; you need to grab your "punch ball" and throw it at them. That knocks them over, and you can run into them and bump them off the level. In that sense, the gameplay is the same as the other Punch Ball Mario Bros., but we're dealing with a four-color palette so some sacrifices were made in artwork compared to, for example, the X1 version. The overly complicated single-button action for a game that should use two buttons still hobbles gameplay, but it's still fun to play around with for a while.

Coming with the box and manual is always a welcome bonus! This one was in startlingly good condition (aside from the PC-8001mkII-specific loading instructions sheet, which spent some portion of its life scrunched up vertically).