By: TradeMark
If you like slot machines and you can't stop thing about Bingo
then you should enjoy Slingo. Hasbro has combined two
classic games into one. Will it ever it end? I wonder if Hasbro
has a wheel at the office with a list of classic games and they
just spin it to decide which game to create. In the case of
Slingo maybe they were feeling frisky and spun it twice.
Graphics: 5/20
The graphics in the game are not its highest point. There is the
game board, which allows you to choose from 7 different types
of background such as Artdeco, Caveman, and Ocean. When
you change the background your tiles will also change. This is
cool the first time you do it but really doesn't add anything to
the game. Overall I would say that the graphics are just there
to help the user play the game and really do not stand out.
Sound: 5/20
There is not a lot of sound it the game and I guess there is no
need for it. You hear the tiles being chosen and hear the
spinner. There are also sounds to the animation when you
receive special tiles. This poor lack of sounds makes the game
less exciting then it could have been.
Game Play: 8/20
The basic idea behind the game is to fill your card by spinning
numbers. There are five different types of games that you can
play.
General Slingo Rules - The object of the game is to spin and
match as many numbers as possible. When you spin you are
shown five numbers. You then have to match any of the
numbers with numbers on your game card, which consists of 25
numbers. When you match a number you are awarded 200
points. If you happen to match an entire row you are award
1000 points and this is called a Slingo (Kind of makes me want
to break out into a chorus of that song about a dog). You are
given 20 spins in the game with the first 16 spins being free and
the rest costing 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000. If you spin a free turn
you can then use that turn when you have run out of free spins.
If you spin a Joker you are allowed to select any number in the
column directly above the Joker. If you spin the Devil then your
points will be cut in half. You can also spin coins to receive
1000 points. The game is over once you have completed the
entire board or have used up all 20 spins.
Classic Slingo - In this game you are playing solo. You follow
the general rules to a T. I found this one to be a real bore.
Dual Slingo - This allows you to play multi-player. Most of the
general rules apply except for a few. The first major
differences are that you are playing multi weather it is with the
computer or over the modem. You can play 1 on 1 with the
computer, 2 people modem, 4 people hot-seat, or 6 people on
LAN/Internet. You will each take turns spinning until you have
used a total combined spin count of 20. I found this one seems
to go the fastest as I didn't have to hunt around as much for the
numbers.
Mix Matrix Slingo - This game follows the basic rules but the
points for Slingos (Matching 5 in a row) will increase each time
you complete one.
Super Square Slingo - This game adds a little more points to
the game buy including bonus squares. You will notice that
some of the squares are red. If you match a number to the red
square then you will receive 2000 point for the match. If you
create a Slingo using the red square as the last selection you
will receive 10000 points. When you use a Joker on a red
square you will not be awarded any bonus points.
Giant Slingo - This game is identical to Classic except you can
spin Giants. If you spin a Giant and have used all of the
numbers on the wheel the Giant will bump the wheel and give
you a new set of numbers.
Fun Factor 3/20
There really is no fun in the game. It seemed more like I was
just spinning the wheel and hunting for the numbers. It reminds
me of playing the Bingo Lottery cards, you just want to hurry
up and finish to see if you've won.
Overall Impression: 8/20
The game is very basic and easy to play. I found it lacking in
most areas compared to today's standards. I like the game for
about the first 1/2 hour and then I found it boring to play. I guess
it might be fun to play instead of digging out Mine Sweeper on
those brain dead days
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