Would you believe that when I was in Las Vegas, I never once played a slot machine? It's true! Mind you, I played a lot of Pac-Man instead. In view of this, perhaps I'm not the best person to review a fruit machine program, but here goes...

Cherryspin arrived on my desk as a result of my "By British" article a few months ago. It is a realistic simulation of a pub fruit machine, with all the usual hold, gamble and nudge features.

The display is in hi-res colour graphics, although it looks fine in monochrome. There are sound effects which can be turned off.

Of course the one missing ingredient is the money slot. The space bar is used to start the barrels rolling and you're charged 10p per go. The current credit or - more usually - debit is displayed, and there is no limit to how much you can owe the machine.

In fact, there really is only the money and smell of the bar-room missing. Cherryspin is a well implemented simulation of a one-arm bandit and has proved to be just as addictive at home as the real thing seems to be in pubs. At £10, it's certainly value for money.

It's only my innate meanness that stopped me playing the slots in Vegas. Having seen the bills I've run up on Cherryspin, it's just as well.