JACKPOT GEMS - "A bit like Pac Man"

Now call me a stupid wanker (and you wouldn't be the first) but I really like this machine. It's another I've never seen or played "in the flesh" (now that'd be nice, a fruit machine with flesh, "You've won a jackpot, collect £15 or exchange for a hand-job") but I could quite fancy a dabble if I ever came across one (bad hand-job pun). 

Very simple gameplay. Trail 1-8, boost at 4, nudge(s) at 7, emerald streak at 9, ruby at 10 and diamond at 11. Overlaid numbers on the reels advance the trails, cunning holding of certain numbers (and/or blank reels) can help manipulate your position on the trail (it does give a few set-ups to allow this, which is nice).

As is the norm with "bingo" machines, reel wins can't be gambled or exchanged, they're automatically collected (they do hold sometimes though, including the jackpot). The streaks are the best bit, they're a simple win series (keep pressing "streak" and hope that the wins keep on coming in) but can pay huge when the machine's in that special kind of mood. Will it give several jackpots in a row? Will emerald streak just give me a tossing stupid 3 lots of mixed 7s again? It's actually quite exciting, in a fruit machine streak uncertainty kind of way. Hmm, you know, I reckon this gambling thing could make a bit of money in the right hands.

Gameplay is fast and furious, (although I imagine that on a real machine on a low %age it could get a bit too fast and the player would get perilously furious), it feels "solid", a bit like Pac Man, no frills, but you know exactly what you're going to get (there are less ghosts here though). The 3 streaks offer a minimum amount (£3, £5 and £15 for emerald, ruby and diamond respectively), however, it seems that it's the emerald streak that spins in the 4 successive jackpots when it finally happens. 

I've set it to somewhat generous 92%, but it plays pretty much the same right across the spectrum, you just have to wait longer for things to happen at lower %ages. I'm not sure it's a machine that I'd want to get too involved with in the real world, the simplistic nature of the beast means there's very little in the way of good or bad signs to indicate a fair or foul mood, and it can deliver a brutal kicking when it wants to. Then again, those big streaks are fun.

Icing on the cake is the boingy dance tune that gets played between spins on the streaks, and the melodic jackpot ditty is thoroughly pleasant too. Jackpot Gems - just say yes.

August 2001