The Collection Chamber: DISNEY-PIXAR: MONSTERS, INC. WRECK ROOM ARCADE

An instant, pick-up and play arcade style game - fun for the whole family.
Scream Alley
Go bowling with Mike! Guide your ball, gain power-ups and avoid obstacles.
Pinball Panic
Join your favourite Monster pals for a crazy Pinball game.
Monster Tag
Jump high to collect all the kids' stuff, then try to land without missing the seesaw!
Billiard Beast
Play pool with mad "Monster" obstacles as you join Sulley in wild and wacky gameplay!
Collect all 4 Monster-iffic Games and unlock a Bonus Game, Monster Mania, for free!

~ from the back of the UK Scream Alley box

Disney/Pixar's Monsters, Inc. was one of the studio's biggest early hits, so it was only natural that Disney Interactive would attempt to squeeze a few extra screams out of the licence. Enter Monsters, Inc. Wreck Room Arcade, a curious collection of mini-games released between 2001 and 2002. Wait, between 2001 and 2002? For one game? Well, yes and no. Rather than selling one compilation at a budget price, Disney split the package into four separate titles; Scream Alley (also known as Bowling for Screams), Billiard Beast (or Eight Ball Chaos), Monster Tag and Pinball Panic. Install all four and you unlocked a fifth bonus game, Monster Mania. Oddly, American players got Pinball Panic as a standalone release rather than part of the collection so they only needed three purchases to complete the package. It was an unusual marketing ploy that probably cost more than simply buying a regular mini-game compilation. Here's hoping they play well, at least.

Scream Alley and Monster Tag are perhaps the simplest games in the collection. They aim for simple arcade action, though neither entirely sticks the landing. The former takes bowling and turns it into a hazardous obstacle course where players steer their ball after launch, weaving around grease patches, bumpers, ramps and power-ups such as exploding bomb balls and bouncing super shots. Progression depends on beating increasingly demanding score targets across ten levels. Monster Tag is essentially a colour-coded rip-off of that classic 1977 game Circus. Instead of a single acrobat, you have two CDA agents catapulting each other from a seesaw to collect contaminated human objects while avoiding a painful plunge to the pavement below. Power-ups, trampolines and a secondary bonus screen add some variety but it ultimately proves too simple and archaic to be worth an extended play. Both games are colourful and easy to understand, but they demand a surprising degree of precision. Younger players - which are the target audience - may find themselves dropping lives like crazy, making the pursuit of a high score more frustrating than you might expect.

Can you score a strike in Scream Alley? Looks like I can't (left).

An overcomplicated game of Pool in Billiard Beast is actually rather fun (right).

Billiard Beast fares a little better thanks to being a genuinely inventive twist on pool. Instead of traditional solids and stripes, players must sink red and green balls into matching coloured pockets before finally potting the black ball. The basic concept is simple enough, but the inclusion of a host of weird features make it worthwhile. Always present are the bonus patches which charge the ball making it worth double the points if doubled, but you also have turnstiles that can open shuttered pockets which adds to the complexity. Depending on the stage, you can also encounter a bunch of pinball-like bumpers that have special properties such as scattering balls in every direction, launching them at triple speed or even teleporting them across the table. While the controls are straightforward and the scoring system rewards clever trick shots, later levels become increasingly cluttered with gimmicks. It is still entertaining, however, and perhaps the most original game in the package.

Then there's Pinball Panic which is easily my favourite. Even Disney seemed to realise it had something special here, considering it was sold separately in the United States rather than be part of the Wreck Room Arcade collection. You may only have one pinball table, but the wide playfield includes a bunch of rooms familiar to the employees of Monsters Incorporated. Missions utilise these rooms that include the locker room, Roz's dispatch office, Harryhausen's restaurant and the Abominable Snowman's cave, while your typical flashing bumpers increase your score. Completing objectives even unlocks a secret children's bedroom that, once activated, morphs from the centre of the table. It's surprisingly ambitious for what could have been a throwaway licence game, although I do believe the single table is a little stingy for a standalone product.

Play well, and you'll uncover a child' bedroom (not in a creepy way) in Pinball Panic (left).
Collect the specified number of scares within the time limit to move to the next stage in Monster Mania (right).

If you've convinced your parents to buy all four CDs, and installed them on your hard drive (don't worry, I've done all that for you ;) ), you are granted access to Monster Mania, a fifth bonus game. It's a platformer that sees a tentacled monster scaling fire escapes on the side of buildings and poking their heads through bedroom windows to harvest screams. Windows must be approached at the right moment, dogs need scaring away, babies knock you from platforms and flying household objects constantly threaten to ruin your run. There are extra lives and time extensions to collect, but the experience is ultimately quite shallow. It has the feel of an old-school arcade platformer stripped down to its bare essentials. That's enjoyable for a few sessions, yet once you've seen everything it has to offer, there's little reason to return. As a bonus unlock it's perfectly acceptable. As the grand reward for buying four separate games, it feels somewhat underwhelming.

Monsters, Inc. Wreck Room Arcade is ultimately no different to any of the other mini-game compilations from Disney Interactive in the early-2000s. More interesting is its unique piecemeal roll out that seems as scummy as a modern micro-transaction. Some of the game show faint flashes of creativity, particularly in Pinball Panic and Billiard Beast, but too many of the games struggle to find the sweet spot between accessibility and challenge. Younger players may find the difficulty spikes surprisingly punishing, while Disney Adults will likely discover that they lack the kind of depth needed to keep you playing beyond five minutes. Still, there are certainly worse Disney mini-game collections out there - many have been reviewed on this very site. And its biggest controversy - the hunt for multiple CDs for the full package - is no longer an issue. Enjoy!

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses dgVoodoo to run on modern systems with IMG Drive Lite to mount the CD ISO. Includes all 5 mini-games of the series. Converted Help File included. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 11.

File Size: 177 Mb. Install Size: 188 Mb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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