About Ring Pong
Ring Pong takes the oldest video game idea there is and bends it into a circle. There is one bat, one ball and no opponent. The ball is trapped inside a ring, and the only thing keeping it there is a curved yellow bat that slides around the edge.
How it works
The bat sits on the ring at whatever angle your finger or pointer is from the centre. Move round the outside of the circle and the bat tracks you. The left and right arrow keys also rotate it.
Each time the ball reaches the ring, the bat has to be there. If it is, the ball bounces back and you score a point. If not, the game ends.
Two things change with every hit. The ball gets about five per cent faster, up to a limit, and the bat gets slightly shorter. The bounce also has a small random twist, so the ball does not settle into a pattern you can memorise.
Playing it well
Follow the ball's line, not the ball. As soon as it leaves the bat, look along its path to where it will meet the ring, and start moving there.
Stay opposite. The ball crosses the circle, so its next contact is usually on the far side from the last. After each hit, begin moving round.
Keep your finger just outside the ring, where you can see the bat. On a touchscreen, your hand can hide the very thing you are trying to hit.
Take the shorter way round. The bat can travel in either direction, and going the long way costs time you will not have later.
Twenty returns is good. Past thirty the bat is small and the ball is quick. It is a neat twist for fans of bat-and-ball HTML5 games.