Minimum System Requirements :
Windows 95
Pentium PC (no speed specified)
16Mb RAM
Dual-speed CD-ROM Drive
DirectX 5.0 (included on CD)
SVGA video card and monitor
15Mb Hard Drive space
100% Microsoft Mouse or compatible
100% Soundblaster soundcard or compatible
Beat The House 2 Beat The House , which now includes seven casino favorites: Video
Poker, Slot Machines, Roulette, Craps, Blackjack, mini-Baccarat and
Sklansky's Poker Challenge.
Also included in the package is the new edition, Beat the House 2
Companion, a gambling strategy guide and tip book written by world-famous
gambling expert Avery Cardoza, with odds and payouts authenticated by
Dr. William Bertram, Ph.D.
After each game has been played you can call up statistical analysis and
charts which track the gambling performance by session, week, month, or year.
Installing and Running the Game
Installing the game is very simple as the CD will autorun the installation
program when you insert it into the drive. When installation is complete you
can choose to play the game, uninstall it, or view a demo of one of
Interplay 's forthcoming games, Star Trek: Secret Of Vulcan Fury
which also plays as you install the game for the first time.
Starting The Game
When the game begins you are placed in the Casino Lobby, from which point you
can select any of the seven games. First, however, you will need to go to the
Front Desk to register the number of players.
Playing the Game
There are seven games available which are as follows :
Roulette : The table is presented in front of you, and you place your
chips by moving the mouse onto the required number and clicking once. Further
clicks add extra cash to that pile, and the amount that can be bet on each
click of the button can be predetermined between $1 and $100.
The game gives odds on each choice of chip position as you drag your mouse
over them, and a full set of odds also given in the game's companion.
After all bets are placed, the wheel can be spun and then fate decides the rest.
My only complaint with this section is that the wheel is rather small compared
to that found in the Playstation's Caesar's Palace , also from Interplay.
Slot Machines : Six different machines are available from Classic
Bars to Gridiron Gold , each based on real fruit machines.
Again, the amount that can be bet each time is variable and full details of the
odds are accessible on screen, but the bars themselves don't fill the screen
as you'd expect, leaving the playing area looking small.
Blackjack : The computer version of this game allows up to four players
(human or computer). Firstly, bet an amount on one of four tables with
different ranges of bets allowed, then after placing your original bet and the
initial cards being dealt, you can choose to hit (take a card), stand (take
no more cards), or double your bet. If you go bust (over 21) you lose, and if
you win you double your money, unless you score Blackjack (21) in which case
you win at 3-1, as long as the dealer hasn't got a Blackjack either.
Video Poker : Four games are available here including the one I played
most, Tens or Better . You place a bet of 1 to 5 coins, after which the
machine will deal the initial five cards. Pressing 'Hold' will keep the
selected cards, and then those left out will be replaced by new ones. Pay-out
depends on resulting cards shown on screen ranging from two-pair to Royal Flush.
Sklansky's Poker Challenge : Four games are available here including
Hold Em Challenge and Double Hold Em Challenge . In the case of
the first one, you pick one of three 2-card hands, after which the computer
will tell you if you've picked a bad one. Then five more cards are dealt which
apply to all the hands. The poker results are drawn from those five cards
plus the two uniquely available to each player.
In the case of Double Hold Em , the same rules apply, but you can pick
from four hands. Then as first three extra cards are drawn, you get the chance
to double your bet.
The other two games which are available are Craps and
Mini-Baccarrat , neither of which I'm familiar with, but both are
well-covered in the companion book like the rest of the games.
One feature included in this sequel is the Speed Bet option which
automatically bets one unit for each player and deals the cards, thus allowing
for faster play.
Graphics, Sound and Playability
The graphics are nothing to shout about but serve the game well. After all,
what do you need apart from graphical representations of the games at hand,
which are shown in plenty of detail, except for the roulette wheel and the
fruit machine reels, both of which are too small.
The sound is also functional. The roulette wheel is spun - that's exactly what
you hear. The cards are dealt in the various poker games, and sampled sounds
of this is what you hear. The reels of the fruit machine go round and round,
and... yes, you guessed it. However, it doesn't need anything else to be added
to it. One nice addition though is the ambient effects of the surrounding
crowd, including one of the barmaids offering various alcoholic drinks to
everyone but you - well, you can always pour your own.
Playability is the game's best attribute. It cannot be faltered. You just move
your mouse as desired and then click. Easy.
Overall
The one problem with casino games is that their fun to play for a while, but
to me their appeal soon fades as you're not winning real money. The amount in
your bank is just an ever-increasing (or decreasing) figure. I've not always
felt that way though, as I used to enjoy the Casino game that was available
for the Atari 2600 VCS almost 20 years ago.
The consensus is then, that if this is the first time you've come across
a casino-style game, you'll have a lot of fun with it, but if you've been
down this road a few times before, there's not a lot more on offer here.
GRAPHICS : **
SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC : **
PLAYABILITY : ****
ORIGINALITY : *
ENJOYMENT : **
-------------------------------
OVERALL : **
If you're after some more info on Interplay's games, check out the official
Website at
www.interplay.com
Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 1998.
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Amazon.co.uk Widgets
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
