With the name Bandit, it could only be either a shoot-'em-up
cowboy game or a fruit machine simulation - in fact, it's the latter.
Instructions are provided, if required, on screen, the cassette
insert supplied was drab and devoid of any information, including how
to load!
The screen display is a large one-armed bandit displaying three
reels. Each fruit symbol is created by a 2 x 2 character square.
These symbols are very well designed, with good use of colour.
However, the rolling of the reel is disappointing - only one reel
moves at a time, and very briefly at that.
Sound is not used very effectively - a few beeps and buzzes,
no sound of falling coins or whirring reels or even a celebrationary
jackpot chime. Full hold, gamble and nudge features are included.
Mostly Basic but with movement speeded up courtesy of PSS's MCODER,
this is a fair simulation of a fruit machine which I think could
have been made better.
25th October 1983
