"Hands-on" impressions might be leaning toward misleading as Sony's Trials of Topoq requires no actual touching, nor hands to play. The PlayStation Eye game only requires that you move your body about the screen to control a large ball. Whether you manipulate its path with your head, your hands, your crotch or your ass matters not. All that's necessary is that you create waves and, in the case of the Games Convention show floor, make a fool of yourself.

The camera controlled game that owes at least part of its existence to Atari's Marble Madness puts your image on a series of panels, each broken up into 16 by 16 (and later 32 by 32) grids. Moving your arms about will cause the tiles in these grids to move upward, creating a wave that affects the motion and position of the ball. You'll push the ball off of a square section, moving it either into another grid, down a ramp or tube, and ultimately into the goal.

It's not easy to control the ball at first, and given that the Games Convention floor featured nothing short of optimal lighting for a PlayStation Eye game, it might make it even more difficult to manipulate in a home environment.

But guiding the ball is only part of the equation. You'll need to focus on precision and near-expert timing; say, for instances where the ball needs to avoid one of the dangerous Red Devils blocking its path or you need to deposit it in a launcher. I found the game oddly addictive, promising myself after each of the levels that I'd move onto something else on the show floor.

While Trials of Topoq may not ultimately result in a fully featured experience, most EyeToy game players probably don't expect epic, motion controlled games anyway. It's conceptually and graphically simple, but still kind of fun. Later levels require great patience and can lead to frustration.

Regardless, it's yet another interesting proof of concept title for the USB camera and should at least be given a fair shake by anyone looking for something a little bit different.

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