Blackjack

The Good
If you like Blackjack, this game does provide a very basic version.

The Bad
This game provides nothing more than a basic iteration of Blackjack. The sound and graphics are barely functional.

The Bottom Line
Blackjack is a fairly simple card game in which, very basically, the dealer and his opponents seek to accumulate as close to 21 points without going over. This program provides a very basic simulation of Blackjack gambling. Up to 3 players may bet between $ 1-25 per hand and play until buster or until reaching $ 1,000. As indicated earlier, this video game provides only a very basic experience. The graphics and sounds do not transport one to the casino. Without some visual or auditory rewards, I found myself quickly losing interest. This game does perform the function it promises. It does not, however, provide anything additional.

The Good
Very little. When I was done playing it. When it was over. That was the best part.

The Bad
With something as simple as blackjack, which requires no AI or strategy on the part of the computer, how could, one ask, they possibly get it wrong? Here's how:

This game employs a variant of blackjack rules that is so extremely unfavorable to the player, that it would almost certainly never be seen in a real casino because no one would be willing to play. Splitting pairs is not allowed, and even more substantially, draws are won by the dealer (your bet is not returned to you if you and the dealer get the same card total and neither busts). Together, these two represent over a 10% house advantage, which almost puts this version of blackjack on par with keno, and even with the best counting, is still a stronger house edge than roulette.

In addition, due to a glitch in the program, while a player is selecting among the options of what to do with the current hand by pressing left or right with the paddle controller, the amount of the player's next bet is modified even though it is defined by a variable that will not be visible until the end of the hand, requiring the player to carefully re-enter it at the start of every hand without pressing the button carelessly or risk wagering an unintended amount.

Granted the original 1970s Atari 2600 games were written on ROM chips with 4 kilobytes of memory (and they were limited to 128 bytes of RAM), but since it's in assembly language, the programmer could have easily made it much less half-assed, maybe even putting in options that let the player select from different choices of rule variants and even 1 or 2 decks.

The Bottom Line
A waste of time - if it was still the 1970s, a waste of money.

The Good
With the use of the controller knob, the gameplay is really simple. The rules are basically the same than the card game and almost anyone can learn them in a matter of seconds. And everyone I played the game with appreciated the fact that one can enter or quit the game at any moment.

The Bad
Unlike some later versions of this classic, you don't see the total of your points as you get your cards. But let's face it, that aspect might be positive if you consider the educational point of view. And unlike the real game, you can't split your hand when you get two cards of the same value. I also deplore the limitations regarding the maximum number of chips you can bet or possess.

From an artistic point of view, the game has little to feature. The beeps and buzzes are as basic as the graphical aspect of the cards. The developers didn't even bother to make a difference between an ace of hearts and an ace of diamonds: the both appear as a big red letter A inside a white box. I know it has no importance in the gameplay, but please!

The Bottom Line
If you don't want to deal with real chips or real cards, or if no one wants to play as a dealer, this game is perfect.