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"First released: Dreamcast (2000) Now available for: Android, iOS With Dreamcast online favourite Phantasy Star Online looking to return with full force on PlayStation Vita, we decided to look back at another Dreamcast multiplayer release, Chu Chu Rocket, which is regarded as the first online-enabled game on any home console.   But that&amp;#039;s not what gave it a fan following. Chu Chu Rocket was simply an excellent puzzle title in its own right. Players had to guide a stream of mice around a board to a rocket, and would do so by placing arrows going in four directions. At the same time, cats - who would gobble up the mice if they reached a rocket - had to be kept at bay and diverted elsewhere. With only a set number of arrows in play at any one time, gameplay was both tactical and incredibly frantic, reacting to the direction of mice and the presence of cats. Arrows could also divert cats to other rockets, adding a competitive element as well as a defensive one, while power-ups would speed up play or even swap around rocket placements. In short, matches of Chu Chu Rocket were an incredible balancing act, and obviously great fun in multiplayer. However, actually playing online was often a difficult proposition. Slow online speeds (especially in Europe with 28k modems) saw high levels of lag. While it was a simple puzzle game on the surface, its frantic nature meant this was a huge problem. The ability to share custom levels online was a more practical option, though, meaning the benefits of online functionality were not lost. Another saving grace was that multiplayer was also available locally, while a brilliant puzzle challenge mode kept solo players more than occupied.   While poor online performance was disappointing for Sega and the showcase of its online service on Dreamcast, the fact that Chu Chu Rocket was available free to all users (Sega even shipped discs to existing owners) meant it had a huge fan-base. Although the system had a limited future, Chu Chu Rocket was popular enough that the franchise soon saw a home on handheld systems. A Game Boy Advance version added thousands of new stages, while ports to iOS and Android were also released in recent years. While the lack of physical buttons meant arrow dropping wasn&amp;#039;t quite as speedy, they&amp;#039;re still both excellent versions, and also comfortably handle online play, finally delivering on that original promise. Do you have many fond memories of Chu Chu Rocket? Add a comment to the space below!            "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/retro-corner/news/a370313/retro-corner-chu-chu-rocket/>