Game Review: Vegas Jackpot (Mastertronic, Dragon 32)

Of all the games released by Mastertronic, the slot machine simulator Vegas Jackpot has been released on more formats than any other game. So it’s no surprise that even though the company only released two games for the Dragon 32 that this would be one of them.

Vegas Jackpot – Fond Memories

Vegas Jackpot was one of the first Mastertronic games I owned, starting off with the Vic 20 version. Regular family holidays to Towyn in North Wales meant pocket money being pumped into all the latest arcade games – Pac Man, Space Invaders, Galaxian – but back then, slot machines were a free-for-all as well. With machines costing as little as 1p to play, even kids were allowed to use them… and use them I did!

Just like the video games that launched the industry, slot machines found in arcades were meant for fun – low prices to play and no huge payouts. They were there really to absorb any leftover change you might have just like the coinpushers scattered around. So winning the top jackpot prizes of £1-£2 was a big deal!

Enter The Dragon!

Vegas Jackpot was originally published for the Vic 20 and Commodore by Mr Chip Software and then licensed by Mastertronic. The Dragon version was ported specifically and was converted over by Geoff Campbell and J Orbaum. The game itself recreates a traditional slot machine featuring three reels, with the usual hold, nudge and gamble/collect features for bonus cash boosts on prizes.

You start off with a massive £3 with each play costing £0.10 so even if you lose every single spin, a single game can last a reasonable amount of time. Prizes vary depending on the symbols you match and whether you gamble your wins, and range from £0.20 up to £3.00. You’re not going to get rich from this one!

All Change!

There have been a few tweaks made to the Dragon 32 version compared to the other editions of the game. The most obvious one is evident as soon as the game loads as it now uses three reels instead of four. Presumably this was done because of the lower screen resolution of the Dragon rather than anything else, but as most early slot machines in the arcades had three reels anyway this isn’t really a major issue.

Again, only a minor point, but the cash limit has been altered from £10 down to £3. As with the number of reels, this makes no difference to the gameplay at all so it’s more of an observation than anything else.

Helping Hand

One thing I was impressed with were the instructions at the start of the game – something that wasn’t present on the Vic 20 version. As well as going over the basic controls, it also covered all of the prize values and reel combinations needed to get them. In addition, there’s an additional screen with playing tips to get the most out of the game – something I don’t remember seeing on any of the other ports. It was a very welcome feature and made for a more enjoyable gaming experience.

Gameplay

What is important is the gameplay and that has remained pretty much intact in this port and its still fun to play. It’s actually quite strange that the whole notion of slot machines in arcades was to try to win money – which you obviously couldn’t do here – but they were still fun to play. Just like Vegas Jackpot, they must have been a popular genre as pretty much every publisher released them back in the 80s!

Even without the ability to actually “win” anything, these are strangely compelling and this version of Vegas Jackpot is no exception. With the exception of the gambling of your prizes and controlling the hold and nudge functions, the rest of the game is completely random but they’re still games that you can still sit there and enjoy.

Look And Feel

This is probably the only area where I was disappointed with the game. Compared with its 8-bit peers, the Dragon 32 struggled technically and it does show here. Graphics are presented using the Dragon’s four-colour mode and do look somewhat garish. Every symbol on each of the reels is easy enough to distinguish from each other which is the most important part, but it does feel slow compared to the other versions. In fact when it comes to speed the gamble element of the winnings is incredibly easy because of the slow speed of the visuals and the only time this becomes a challenge is when you play for the top £3 prize.

The big disappointment has to be the sound though as in there isn’t any. Even a few random clicks, beeps or blips would have been better than nothing, just to acknowledge each symbol dropping into position on the reels. It does impact on the atmosphere of the game sadly and unless you have something on in the background the lack of any sort of noise can lead to your attention wandering before too long.

Overall

Despite the technical shortcomings, Vegas Jackpot is still a fun game and competent conversion of one of my favourite Mastertronic games. Granted, Dragon 32 owners couldn’t be too picky when it came to Mastertronic games, but at least they didn’t disappoint and managed to deliver enough playability and value for money.

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