Games for the Vic-20. (evaluation) David Busch.

Superslot

I rated Superslot as the least interesting of the three arcade games, mostly because slot machine games traditionally require no skill or strategy--just a player willing to drop in coins and pull on the arm of the machine. In fact, I rewrote the last slots game I came across to perform these tasks automatically, and let the game play itself. I came back in a few hours to see how long it had taken to consume all the money allotted at the beginning of the session.

Superslot seems to amuse younger children quite well. The spinning reels are realistic, have finely detailed cherries, apples, and other fruit, and make a joyful sound as they grind to a halt.

The player begins with 80 coins. Joystick control makes this a painless game to play. The fire button is pressed to insert from one to five coins. Each additional coin dropped increases the number of winning combinations, although this makes no difference at all in improving the odds over the long run. Pulling down on the joystick activates the slot machine. Pushing up switches the display to a chart that portrays the winning combinations available.

Every time the player wins, his stake is increased noisily, one coin at a time. If one of the higher pots--300 or 400 coins--is won, this process can take several seconds. I have yet to win the big 3000-point jackpot, but would guess that a lunch break could probably be taken while that bonus accumulates.

Because no skill whatsoever is involved, this game will quickly bore the non-Vegas-frequenting older child or adult. Unless one manages to win one of the larger prizes, Superslot invariably becomes a contest to see if the player can keep pulling the lever until all the coins are lost. Frequent small wins can drag this process out to more than an hour. The larger pots are infrequent enough that one is tempted to quit while ahead, rather than spend the time needed to squander two or three hundred coins.

Products: Commodore Superslot (video game)