Crystal Quest shoots onto Xbox 360 Arcade

Those who owned Apple's Macintosh computers in the late 1980s likely remember two things--the smiling Mac that greeted users when they booted up, and spending hours upon hours playing Crystal Quest. The first Mac game in color, Crystal Quest was also one of the first arcade-style shooters that incorporated the use of the mouse, then still a new computer accessory, into gameplay.

Patrick Buckland, the game's original author, is giving today's gamers a chance to play the classic. His new company, Stainless Games, today released Crystal Quest for the Xbox 360 Live Arcade. The game has received an audio and visual overhaul, and is available for download as a free trial version or a full version for 400 Marketplace points ($5).

Crystal Quest's premise is simple. Players guide a sphere through rectangular playing fields while collecting crystals, dodging mines, and shooting enemies. Once all the crystals have been collected, the exit to the next level opens, and the difficulty ramps up.

On its Web site, Stainless Games promises that Crystal Quest for the Xbox 360 will feature downloadable content packages to customize the game, as well as a playable remake of the original.