Reviewed: October 12, 2002
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
Sierra Entertainment
Developer
Sierra Entertainment
Released: September 20, 2001
Genre: Gambling
Players: 4
ESRB: Everyone
8
7
6
10
8.7
System Requirements
Hoyle as been the undisputed authority for parlor type games for over two centuries, and Sierra has been bringing these classic games to your PC for over ten years now. I’ve been an avid fan of all of the Hoyle releases since Sierra started putting them out back in the early 90’s. I was even a beta-tester for their TSN (The Sierra Network) online gaming system that allowed you to play many of these games online. Keep in mind these were pre-Internet times when you actually had to dial another person’s computer or a service such as AOL or CompuServe to do anything online.
Sierra has managed to keep up with the times and subsequently release a new and improved version of their various Hoyle franchises every year which brings us to this year’s release of Hoyle Casino 2003.
This latest release is packed with 14 Vegas-style games including:
- Baccarat
- Blackjack
- Caribbean Stud Poker
- Craps
- Horse Racing
- Keno
- Let It Ride
- Pai Gow Poker
- Poker
- Roulette
- Slots and Video Slots
- Three Card Poker
- Video Blackjack
- Video Poker
Standard for all of the 2003 Hoyle releases, this game comes with the exclusive Facemaker tool that lets you create your own persona from hundreds of various facial features, clothes, and accessories. Much like a police composite system, you can overlay noses, lips, hair, eyes, until you create something that either resembles your own appearance or even some crazy character with a rainbow clown wig. The possibilities are nearly infinite. One nice feature for those of you who own more than one of the Hoyle 2003 games is that you can load your composite image into those other games and not have to create it entirely from scratch.
Navigating the menus is quick and easy, and you can quickly find the game you want to play and load it up. Once loaded there are handy tutorials and excellent instructions to familiarize you with the gameplay and rules of each game. You can pick your characters and even choose to have your favorites return for future games. Choose from various options and difficulty levels and it’s off to the casino.
You start off with $5,000 on your own personalized credit card and there is even a Cashier window where you can get a loan if you have a run of back luck. I found myself building up my bank account with games I was good at like Blackjack and Poker then trying some of the other more exotic games.
One of my favorite functions in the game is the Practice Mode that actually pops-up hints as you play a regular game. This is very useful as it not only gives you basic tips on game rules, but also acts as a "blunder alert" if you are about to do something really stupid like "Hit on a 15".
The Horse Racing game really stands out from the rest. You get a betting slip and pick Win-Place-Show for any or all of the top five horses. Then the game kicks into one of those mechanical horse racing games with little 2D stick-figure horses going around the oval track complete with authentic commentary. It pretty cool and a change of pace from the other games in the casino.
You can play single events or enter a high stakes tournament mode. There is a great practice mode that lets you learn the game and get professional advice on various strategies. I found some of this information quite valuable and look forward to trying it out in real-life on my next trip to Windsor.
The menu system is quite clever featuring a 3D casino floor with a 2D map insert in the corner showing you location. You can pick from several “hot spots” on the 3D view to zoom in on a closer view then pick from the various game tables to select your game. You can also do an instant game selection from the pull-up menu along the bottom of the screen.
Each game is presented in a colorful and charming visual style. Everything is organized so there is no clutter and you can easily read your cards, see your other players, or have an unobstructed view of the game table. Dealers are animated very well in the Blackjack game although you may want to toggle this feature off as it does lengthen the gameplay. You will see the lady at the roulette table sweep away the lost chips from all the losers.
The mechanical games are really well done with nice animations and special effects like the blurring pictures of the slot machine symbols as they spin by. There is plenty of animated lights and colorful artwork on the machines just like a real casino.
There are some excellent sound effects ranging from the unmistakable sound of the roulette wheel spinning with the ball clacking around, to the whirring of the slot machines, and the ever-present ambient noise of the casino itself. Unlike a real casino where the combine sound of a thousand slots will drive you crazy, this game keeps the environmental noise comfortably subdued in the background.
There are 10 characters that you can play against in Hoyle Casino. They each feature their own unique personalities and accents. You have characters like the newlywed bride playing Blackjack in her wedding dress, or the wisecracking Eddie who fancies himself as a professional gambler. Their random dialog can get repetitive after several hours of gameplay, but you can always toggle that option off if you wish.
Hoyle Casino is packed with value. With more than 400 variations of the 14 games you can play this game forever, or at least until the 2004 edition comes out. Whether you just enjoy the basic games like Craps, Blackjack, or Poker, or fancy yourself as the next James Bond and enter the Baccarat tournament, this game delivers on the content and long-term fun.
In addition to the 100+ page manual, the game also comes with an abridged version of the Third Revised Edition of Hoyle’s 8 Favorite Games; a substantial and useful guide that you can use even in your non-computer gaming. This book is non-specific to the software, so regardless of which Hoyle game(s) you buy, the book will be the same. Up to four people can play on the same computer or you can challenge family, friends, or strangers to your favorite game of chance over the Internet. Hosting and joining other people games is very easy with the built-in online support and Sierra's online gaming website.
Hoyle Casino is portable and can be installed on your laptop and played without the CD; although, certain animations and sounds that stream from the CD will not be available. As an added bonus, there are even some PDA versions of Blackjack and Video Poker that you can download to your Palm OS and Windows CE Handhelds. Now you can practice your Blackjack skills on your next flight to Vegas.
Set in a realistic Vegas environment, Hoyle Casino Games is the best casino game I’ve ever had the privilege to play. There is something here to please and challenge everyone in your family, and the helpful tutorials will actually teach you games you may have never even heard of before.
Combining great fun, endless replay, an easy-to-use interface and user-friendly installation makes it a sure winner with novices and experts alike.