Here we have a
video game made by
HAL Laboratories in 1989 for the
Nintendo Entertainment System. It's a
gambling game where you can play with up to four friends at
blackjack,
keno,
slot machines, and
roulette. You start with $700 and try to parlay that into $100,000,000 by wagering on the games.
Blackjack is your standard version of the game. You play against the dealer and try to hit a score of 21 without going over. Options include the
Double Down,
Split, and insurance against a possible dealer blackjack.
Keno is a typical
lottery game where you choose numbers 1-81. Then 12 numbers are chosen from the board, and the more numbers chosen that match your choices, the greater your winnings.
Roulette is the typical "bet on a number and hope it comes up on the spin" game. No surprises here.
Slot machines are where things get interesting. The game features $1, $5, $25, $50, and $100 slots in addition to the Jackpot Bar where you can wager up to $100 on a spin and the payoffs are greater, yet less frequent.
In addition to the gambling sometimes you will be approached by people trying to sell a watch for the money or looking for a loan or a waitress might spill a drink on you. Then you must decide whether or not to agree to the person's request. For example, in the watch scenario mentioned above someone will offer to sell you a family heirloom watch because the person needs more money to gamble with. If you accept the watch might be worth ten times what you bought it for and you'd make a nice profit. On the other hand, the watch could be a fraud and worthless. It's these little games of chance that add to the overall Las Vegas experience. If you play your cards right you might even meet the man/woman of your dreams and get married before the game is over!
If you go bankrupt during the game, don't despair. There's one last shred of hope for you - one free pull of the handle at the Jackpot Bar. If you strike it big, you go back to gambling. However, if you strike out it's game over.
It's tough to beat the game in one sitting, so a password system allows you to save your game whenever you like. The passwords are long and complex, however. A typical password looks like:
G!9G K5GE 3GUG SA
1T7K 48AM 9!35
So take care in writing down the passwords the game generates. One wrong letter and the whole thing is worthless. Incidentally, that password above is good for over $8,000,000. Enjoy with my compliments.
The graphics are simple and the sounds are limited to the sound of coins and chips being awarded (as well as a single theme song that plays in perpituity), but nevertheless Vegas Dream is a fun little gambling romp from yesteryear. Give it a try sometime and be prepared for hours/minutes of fun.