Google shows off Chrome update with Fastball game

30 Jun 2010

To celebrate the new version of its Chrome browser that has Adobe Flash built in, Google has released a Flash-based game called Chrome Fastball, built specially for YouTube.

The Flash-based game is designed to show off how fast the latest version of Chrome is as web browser by building in various challenges that the user has to solve in order to get the pinball to move from place to place across the screen.

Using Google Maps (Map Lap) the user has to calculate the fastest mode of transport between a and b on the embedded map and then they’re on to the next challenge, which involves tweeting out the fastest ball they can think off (Tour de Twitter).

The third puzzle involves translating a piece of text by guessing the native language (Translate Time Trial) and you’re onto The Last.fm 500 where you must spell out a word by choosing band names that begin with those letters.

The final challenge is the Search Grand Prix where you must choose three things to Google that are popular in decreasing order. I chose ‘recession’, ‘Abba’ and erm, ‘baked beans’.

When you get to the end you’re given your time for completing these tasks along with a record time, which didn’t show up for me. This is designed to get people to update Chrome and try it out but can also be played inside Firefox.

I got 08:35, which admittedly is pretty bad, so see if you can beat me!

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com