Casino gambling has always been a favorite of video game players. With a casino simulation, anyone can imagine the excitement of walking into a glamorous Las Vegas casino, sitting at a crowded table, and playing like James Bond. Without risking the kids college fund to do it. There have been numerous casino and card games for the Pocket PC, but now Zio Interactive brings us the most polished and complete package yet seen on a handheld device.

Product: Pocket Gambler
Developer: ZioSoft
Web Site: www.ziosoft.com
Category: Game – Card / Casino
Price: $19.95
Requirements: Pocket PC:
Casio Cassiopeia E-115, E-125, EM-500, E-200
HP Jornada 540 and 560 series
Compaq IPAQ 3600, 3700, and 3800 series
NTT Docomo G-Fort
UR There @migo
Toshiba Genio

Software:
Microsoft ActiveSync
Desktop Windows 95 / 98 / Me / 2000 / NT 4.x

Pocket PC OS:
Windows CE 3.x for Pocket PC
Pocket PC 2002

Pocket PC CPU:
MIPS / SH3 / StrongArm

Color:
65K / 4096 Colors

Storage Memory:
3MB of RAM

As soon as the game starts, you will quickly notice how polished the graphics are. They are sharp and crisp while being very pleasing on the eyes. Everything fits well visually on the small Pocket PC screen. The sound effects are clear and articulate. However, I would have preferred multiple voices instead of the same voice throughout the game. Each game has the same person speaking rather than different people to simulate different dealers. The sound effects are not exceptional, but work well for the game. The user interface is easy to use and the only irritating element of it is the New Game button. Since you only have two real choices at the beginning of a game, bet or quit, the need for a New Game button at the start of every hand is mainly annoying. One issue I had was the need to select menu or option choices twice before the game would accept the choice. However, this may have been a problem with playing the game on a Casio E-125.

This is a very complete package with a total of 7 games. Caribbean Poker, Blackjack, Baccarat, Video Poker, Slot Machine, Roulette, and Craps. Since most people know how these games are played, I will not try to explain the basics for the games. Each is very well designed and easy to play.

Caribbean Poker – This is a variation on poker and is played the same way. However the Zio has left out the main element that has made this game so popular in casinos all over the world. Casino Caribbean Poker combined poker with a progressive aspect where the player can bet an additional dollar to win big payoffs and even a progressive jackpot if they have a high value hand. This game has been simplified. While it is still fun to play, it would have been better if it were the complete version played in Las Vegas casinos.

Blackjack, Baccarat, Roulette – All of these games are the basic casino versions and are very well implemented.

Craps – This game is very well done and has the same excitement and challenge that you would have playing in a big casino as everyone watches you throw the dice.

Video Poker and Slot Machine – Both games are the basic machine games that you know. They are fun to play, but would have been more entertaining if there were different variations of each as you would find in any casino. The rolling of the wheels in the Slot Machine is very short, so you lose the anticipation of watching as each wheel stops one by one.

This is a really well crafted product. The graphics are visually stunning. The animations and sound effects fit the game well. And most of all, you can enjoy the fun of casino gambling without losing your shirt. Or dress as the case may be.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 Stars.

--Harvey Lee