Strike Force Bowling is a video game of the sports genre released in 2004 by LAB Rats. A previous game, Fast Lanes Bowling, was published by Enlight Software for Microsoft Windows. The two games are very similar sharing the same physics engine and graphics, although Strike Force featured more locations as well as left-handed, and reverse-hook bowlers. LAB Rats assisted in the development of Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling so the game has the same physics engine, but has a more fantasy-oriented theme. Strike Force features 14 places to Bowl (12 in Fast Lanes) and 8 Playable characters. There are only 7 locations, but each has its own "nighttime" variant which is unlocked as a secret stage. It also features Golf Mode, Challenge Mode, Skins, and Tournaments. There are also 14 different bowling balls to use, such as the Lightning, and level specific ones like the Bone Crasher and Pharaoh's Magic.

In the grand scheme of things, today's bowling games aren't that much different from the games we saw hitting arcades and arcane home consoles 20 years ago. While some bowling games tend to take advantage of technology and the advancement made in virtual physics over the years, others just let you hurl a ball down a lane at some pins. Crave's budget-priced PS2 and Xbox offering, Strike Force Bowling, is actually a renamed and slightly updated version of a recent PC bowling game, Fast Lines Bowling. Regardless of what you call it, the game attempts to combine zany locales with tried-and-true bowling mechanics, but the game lacks substance and ultimately won't please bowling fans, be they hardcore or casual.




Strike Force Bowling