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Fruit Machine from Superior Software is an excellent implementation of the "one-armed bandit" but with a button rather than an arm, of course.

The program has eight types of "fruits", these being bells, acorns, apples, cherries, melons, SS logos, BBC bars, and something which looked tasty but I wasn't sure what it could be. The fruits are beautifully drawn, and looked good enough to eat. The program starts by presenting the fruits and the various winning combinations, and then proceeds to draw the machine, whereupon it gives you twenty credits.

Playing the machine involves pressing the S key to spin the reels. Each reel scrolls vertically, and the quality of the animation cannot be faulted. The program includes the usual fruit machine features of Nudge, Hold, and Gamble winnings. One major criticism is directed at the nudge and hold keys. The function keys 0, 1 and 2 act as nudge buttons for each reel, but function keys 1, 2 and 3 act as hold buttons. Very confusing!

Each spin of the reel costs one credit, with winnings increasing your credit. When your credit reaches zero the machine offers you another twenty credits. The financial risks involved are, of course, non-existent, and after the first twenty credits expired there seemed little point in playing again.

Superior Software has produced a superior implementation of a fruit machine, but I would be very surprised if this type of program had any lasting appeal. The appeal of the fruit machine is not in the rotating of reels, but the misguided belief that you will win some money. Space Invaders quickly ousted the fruit machines from the arcades, so it seems strange to me that a fruit machine simulator should try to make an inroad into an Invader dominated market.

Dave Reeder