Have you ever played a game so much that you could beat it with one hand tied behind your back? Well, here is your chance to prove it.

Enter the Roll & Rocker accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System. This is a new (in 1989) kind of controller where you stand on this piece of plastic and rock from side to side and back and forth to control the d-pad functions in an NES game. To make this easier, it is designed like a platform that is rounded on the bottom, almost as if you cut a sphere in half and tried to stand on the flat part.

I found this at the Flea Market for $25 last week, which is a phenomenal deal considering they usually hit about $80 on ebay. I finally decided to take it out tonight, and see if it actually works. (The AVGN said it was terrible) I hooked it up to the first controller port, plugged another controller into the second port (you need a real controller for the other buttons) and stuck Mega Man 2 in the NES. I have heard that this thing can't support more than 100 pounds, so I decided not to risk breaking it in half and just use my left to manipulate it while I used my right for the controller. Trying to select the stage I wanted was a pain in the ***, as the selector wouldn't stay put, but I managed to select the Air Man stage after a few minutes. The stage starts, and you tilt the Roll & Rocker to the right to move Mega Man. To my great surprise it actually worked. That's not to say that it worked well though. I spent ten minutes and three continues trying to get past the platforms that you have to jump on. I tried sitting on the floor and using my feet, but that offered little help. Finally I gave up and switched to Super Mario Bros. 2.

Super Mario Bros. 2 worked out a little bit better. I was able to run and jump all the way to the first doorway, but when I entered and had to climb the vine I ran into trouble. It is very hard to position Mario in the right spot and then tilt the Roll & Rocker up to climb without moving from side to side. After a few tries I got it and made my way to the second vine and into the clouds. This is where I got stuck, because I couldn't jump onto the cloud and stop before I got to the black jumping enemy. I will also mention that in my anger at not moving where I wanted I found that the d-pad on the controller actually works while it is plugged into the Roll & Rocker. However, if the Roll & Rocker has priority, as if you are crouching you cant move. I had to hold my left hand behind my back to make it fair.

In all, the Roll & Rocker isn't a bad accessory, it is just very difficult to use, and almost pointless. The only use I could see for this is maybe a one armed person. Other than that, it is cool to have, but definitely not cool to use…unless to only have one arm, then more power to you.