"Super Slots" (DOS)

A slot machine-based game that's as retro as you can get. Even though it's representative of the graphical gameplay from the olden days, you're better off playing the more recent ones.

Not sure if it's the website I searched on, or if there aren't enough sources, but there isn't a single sentence of information about this game. Toying some words to trigger an appropriate search result, this makes us wonder of the rare nature of this game. Granted, it's a gambling simulation (casino gaming) type but the overall effort placed into the making of this proves how long and how far computer games have gone, from the gameplay to the graphics.

Booting up the game, you're greeted by the title screen followed by the list of players in the Hall of Fame. I find it rather pretentious to keep your record winnings under a list titled "Hall of Fame," even if you lost a huge amount of money, but granted, that's what the game provides.

Here's where the game gets really picky: If you don't feel like inputting your own name, you can use any of the pre-listed names on the game IF YOU KNOW THEIR PASSWORD(S). That's right, ladies and gentlemen, in order to use someone else's name or even your own, you NEED a password to continue. Isn't that a little much for a casino game? Who's going to steal this game, hack the users' password and play under their name(s)? I find that a little too much, to be honest. Oh, and I'm not even sure if other DOS gamer or collector owning this game anyway, so feel free to play under my name—Kris and my password is PIZZA. There.

Lastly, this game has the option to include four players playing simultaneously. This means you can take turns using the computer, proving whose luck prevails! Casino games aren't often known for their multiplayer option, yet it's quite rare for a game like this to have it, especially games released for DOS.

Gameplay is simple, as you start off with a $1,000 bankroll, and you get to choose any of the twelve (12) slot games with three of them being Progressive Machines. They are as follows:

The numbers and letters on the parentheses are ones that can be selected using your keyboard (a quick option for those who are too lazy to use their mouse). The names of the games are rather bland but simple, as some have different payouts and require different minimum bets in order to play. No matter which one you choose, you finally see the full graphic of the slot machine.

Okay, I know, the graphics aren't exciting as they seem to have been straight from an unfinished Photoshop project programmed from first-year high school. The stats above the machine show how much the machine pays if the reels land on anything specific; In the middle, from the left, you get the "ALL WINNINGS Paid By COIN" to give off that realistic note you often see on slot machines; The absolute middle is where the action is, featuring the machine's reels; The middle right displays "PLAY ONE To FIVE COINS BEFORE PULLING HANDLE." Below that are the buttons on the machine which, from left to right, has "QUIT," "ONE COIN," "MAXIMUM COINS," "NEXT PLAYER" which changes to "PULL," and you have the "SKIP TURN" button. These options should be self-explanatory, so how ever much you want to bet is entirely up to you. Given that this isn't real life gambling, and just a computer game, I usually bet the maximum. If my gameplay doesn't earn me enough to break even, I change it and play another machine—just like real life. One bummer of playing the slots is not being able to pull the handle to play.

On the bottom part of the machine shows the list of players playing the game, the coin dispense tray and your monetary stats.

For the slots themselves, there isn't much a clear indication on which one is the most forgiving—the one that pays out the most. Though I will say that the Progressive Slots barely made a dent for me, but perhaps, you may be luckier.

When playing the slots, you MUST click "NEXT PLAYER," even if you're playing by yourself, in order to continue pulling the reels during gameplay. Since I've never hit any big jackpot, I'm not sure what happens exactly if you were to win the Progressive Jackpot.

As little is known about this game, it does have that nostalgia factor in terms of gameplay and graphics. It brings you back during a time when computer games were very simple and simple-looking, making the player/user focus on the gameplay and not much the graphics. This is also a great game to try and program, for those who are looking to practice or pursue a career in PC game development. I never took the time to look at the source files, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't written in Python, as a ton of games are developed in such language today.

Besides the nostalgia and the uncommon nature of this game, there isn't too much to be excited about. It's alright, but I wouldn't come back and play it again unless it was a game that came pre-installed on new PCs—kind of like Solitaire and Minesweeper. Not sure what the re-sell value of this game is, but nevertheless, those games in your DOS/PC collection won't get robbed of their spotlight.

Kris Caballero

Founder of KCU Network and KCU Plus, Kris has been writing since he started blogging in late 2005. Officially back to doing computer programming, Kris enjoys reading books on Mathematics, Quantum Computing, Philosophy, plus playing old video/MS-DOS games, digital video archiving, listening to sports, public radio and classical music.

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