Review

A DIFFERENT KIND OF DEAL

Aussie Joker Poker's $700,000 Contest

REVIEWED BY GREGG PEARLMAN
START ASSISTANT EDITOR

			Try implementing your own rules with Aussie Joker Poker, such as "must hit on two pair and must stay on three of a kind."

Australia's Joker Software certainly takes its games seriously. They're offering a $200,000 contest and all you have to do is play Aussie Joker Poker, enter the contest and be one of the 20 finalists. When the smoke clears, you'll be $1000 to $100,000 richer. Don't forget, however, that final entries must be received by April 30, 1989.

Aussie Joker Poker is the first game ever released in six computer formats at once. It resembles casino poker machines, but plays more like blackjack than poker because you can continually hit (draw cards) to improve your hand. In fact, if you hit, you must improve your hand--if not, you go bust.

Gameplay

In Aussie Joker Poker you can limit the deck size so that the lowest card can be anywhere from two to 10. You receive 1,000 points for a pair, 2,000 for two pair and so on--and nothing if you bust. Each player can play up to 99 hands, and you can impose some fun variations of your own. You can set bets ranging from a penny to $9,999.99 per hand and the game keeps track of winners and losers.

Look and Feel

Aussie Joker Poker is potentially addictive, but the sound effects and flickering cursor arrow might work your nerves after a while, and you can't exit a game in progress without turning off your computer.

At this writing, the game still has one or two bugs, but I'm confident that by the time you read this, Joker Software will have eliminated them. Also, despite what the package says, Aussie Joker Poker works on color monitors only.

Wrap-Up

Overall, Aussie Joker Poker is a fun example of its genre. While it can be played by up to 90 people at once, the truth is that Joker Poker works better as a game for one or a few players. It's hard to imagine a room full of people--say, at a party-gathering around the monitor and jostling for position, to play a single-computer, multi-player game. But if you like computer card games with a difference and want to try to win the big jackpot, look for Aussie Joker Poker.

PRODUCTS MENTIONED

Aussie Joker Poker, $49.95. Joker Software International, P.O. Box 22380 Gilroy, CA 95021-2380, (800) 24-JOKER.