Peggle has been getting the Tetris treatment, and not just insofar as unscrupulous companies want to steal the intellectual property. Peggle is being ported to every platform known to man, and the casual megahit has some fun for just about every type of gamer. However, the similarities end there because Peggle’s greater complexity means that PopCap has to re-optimize the game every time they switch platforms, so you never really know what you’re getting when you pick up a new version. The iPhone port has its own perks and quirks, but still feels like Peggle on the whole.

Hoary old gamers (read: anyone around since The Orange Box) may recall that it shipped with Peggle Extreme, a standalone Half-Life-themed bundle of levels for casual megahit Peggle. If you’ve ever been curious but haven’t wanted to shell out the cash, Valve is now offering it for free via Steam. For those unfamiliar, Peggle is a gravity-driven puzzle game where the objective is to destroy every peg on a game board by bouncing a ball among them. It’s sort of like pinball without flippers, and has a habit of depriving otherwise productive members of society of their duly-earned sleep. Go have a crack at it.

From the “it’s about time” files, PopCap Games has announced that it will be porting Peggle to the DS. They’ll be doing this with Q Entertainment (Lumines, Meteos), a development house already experienced with the unique demands of handheld gaming devices. Touch interactivity seems well suited to PopCap’s precision aiming game, and Peggle’s short play sessions seem like a good fit for portable gaming. That in addition to Peggle’s uncommon appeal to both casual and hardcore gamers makes this a game to keep an eye on.