Slingo is an odd little title from the software powerhouse that is Hasbro. Slingo combines bingo and a slot machine into one game to make a unique little title. The game gives you a bingo card with five slot wheels underneath it and a slot arm on the side. You pull the slot arm and numbers appear on the wheels as well as other bonuses. Animated characters such as devils and giants will randomly appear and modify the game. A timer keeps the game moving quickly much like real bingo. As a bonus Hasbro included five different variations of the in the one package. Each has slightly different rules and others even have different characters. This game is for children but it is definitely fun. It is also one of those stupid games that manage to gobble up your time quite quickly. I enjoyed playing it for about an hour and a half straight and was only interrupted by the fact that I had to write this review. Speaking of which, here it is.

Graphics:
For a children's game the graphics are very good. They are smooth and well drawn. The game allows you to pick between several different board themes, each of which has it's own fonts, background and sounds. The character animations that pop up are very cartoon-like and are well animated. The game is able to maintain the same feel throughout all of the menus and the actual game. All of the graphics display without flaw and are definitely better than any other game I have seen in this genre.

Sound:
Much like the graphics, the sound is dead-on for this game. The sounds maintain a fun feel and are very well recorded. The sound is also very simple. Then again, it is necessary to understand that a game like this does not need fancy 3D audio or speech. The sound also played on cue and never lagged.

Multiplayer:
Multiplayer is this game's heart. Playing the computer can be fun but does get a little bit boring. Slingo makes setting up a multiplayer game incredibly easy. There are three options to choose from: TCP/IP, Modem and Hot Seat. The game only displays the options that you support which makes it even easier. This means that IPX play might have existed, I just don't have the drivers installed. There is no lag, but none is expected from this type of game. A chat box appears at the bottom and is easy to use. All of the five versions of Slingo lend themselves to network play but Duel Slingo is the best as both players have the same card and can play off each others moves.

Gameplay:
Solid. Everything is controlled by the mouse and it is very intuitive. Menus are well laid out and even manage to fit within the game's 'feel'. Slingo also has a very original feel to it and is definitely a game that kid's could play.

Fun Factor:
My roommate and I got hooked. We played for a good hour and a half against each other. It was probably more fun because we were in the same room and could yell but Slingo is definitely a fun game.

Overall Impression:
I liked this game and I'm proud to say it. It was fun, looked good and had good sound. The fact that it is very small also encourages me to keep it as something to play when I want to take a break from work. Good job to Hasbro. I cannot however recommend this game for the diehard action gamer. It is slow paced and very childish. I guess that's why I liked it so much. I this reviewers opinion Slingo is a good grab, if you're not doing something and are able to spare the time to pick it up.

Graphics: 15/20
Sould: 10/15
Gameplay: 25/30
Fun Factor: 15/20
Multiplayer: 4/5
Overall Impression: 7/10

If you like slot machines and you can't stop thing about Bingo then you should enjoy Slingo. Hasbro has combined two classic games into one. Will it ever it end? I wonder if Hasbro has a wheel at the office with a list of classic games and they just spin it to decide which game to create. In the case of Slingo maybe they were feeling frisky and spun it twice.

Graphics: 5/20

The graphics in the game are not its highest point. There is the game board, which allows you to choose from 7 different types of background such as Artdeco, Caveman, and Ocean. When you change the background your tiles will also change. This is cool the first time you do it but really doesn't add anything to the game. Overall I would say that the graphics are just there to help the user play the game and really do not stand out.

Sound: 5/20

There is not a lot of sound it the game and I guess there is no need for it. You hear the tiles being chosen and hear the spinner. There are also sounds to the animation when you receive special tiles. This poor lack of sounds makes the game less exciting then it could have been.

Game Play: 8/20

The basic idea behind the game is to fill your card by spinning numbers. There are five different types of games that you can play.

General Slingo Rules - The object of the game is to spin and match as many numbers as possible. When you spin you are shown five numbers. You then have to match any of the numbers with numbers on your game card, which consists of 25 numbers. When you match a number you are awarded 200 points. If you happen to match an entire row you are award 1000 points and this is called a Slingo (Kind of makes me want to break out into a chorus of that song about a dog). You are given 20 spins in the game with the first 16 spins being free and the rest costing 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000. If you spin a free turn you can then use that turn when you have run out of free spins. If you spin a Joker you are allowed to select any number in the column directly above the Joker. If you spin the Devil then your points will be cut in half. You can also spin coins to receive 1000 points. The game is over once you have completed the entire board or have used up all 20 spins.

Classic Slingo - In this game you are playing solo. You follow the general rules to a T. I found this one to be a real bore.

Dual Slingo - This allows you to play multi-player. Most of the general rules apply except for a few. The first major differences are that you are playing multi weather it is with the computer or over the modem. You can play 1 on 1 with the computer, 2 people modem, 4 people hot-seat, or 6 people on LAN/Internet. You will each take turns spinning until you have used a total combined spin count of 20. I found this one seems to go the fastest as I didn't have to hunt around as much for the numbers.

Mix Matrix Slingo - This game follows the basic rules but the points for Slingos (Matching 5 in a row) will increase each time you complete one.

Super Square Slingo - This game adds a little more points to the game buy including bonus squares. You will notice that some of the squares are red. If you match a number to the red square then you will receive 2000 point for the match. If you create a Slingo using the red square as the last selection you will receive 10000 points. When you use a Joker on a red square you will not be awarded any bonus points.

Giant Slingo - This game is identical to Classic except you can spin Giants. If you spin a Giant and have used all of the numbers on the wheel the Giant will bump the wheel and give you a new set of numbers.

Fun Factor 3/20

There really is no fun in the game. It seemed more like I was just spinning the wheel and hunting for the numbers. It reminds me of playing the Bingo Lottery cards, you just want to hurry up and finish to see if you've won.

Overall Impression: 8/20

The game is very basic and easy to play. I found it lacking in most areas compared to today's standards. I like the game for about the first 1/2 hour and then I found it boring to play. I guess it might be fun to play instead of digging out Mine Sweeper on those brain dead days