Reviews

A good fruit machine game for mobile phones can be hard to find sometimes, which is why Fruit Machine Gold is something of a god-send. FMG provides the excitement and addiction factor you've come to expect from these slot machines, without having to pump pound coin after pound coin into it!

The layout of the game should prove welcoming for both fruit machine veterans and novices alike. While some real-life machines are crammed full of way too many features to the point that they would put off all but the keenest of addicts, this game merges an inoffensive level of simplicity with fun. As a result, you get a game that goes beyond just trying to line up three fruits on a reel, but does so without requiring you to have degrees in maths and physics to work out just how you win any money.

On your average phone screen, you're able to see the three reels, the "buttons" that you'll press to play during the course of the game, the trail climber and the feature trail itself. On certain smaller screen models, the feature trail is kept on a separate screen, which the game switches to when you access it. No matter how it's displayed, the text is readable and easy to understand.

The aforementioned buttons (Spin, Collect, Hold/Nudge, etc) can be pressed either by selecting them with the on-screen cursor, or by tapping a corresponding number on the numeric key pad. The action that each number corresponds to is explained in the Instructions portion of the game.

Beginning with £10 in the bank, you start by spinning the reels, hoping to see three matching fruits or items appearing on the central winning line. Each time that you spin, 20p will be deducted from your bank. Therefore, even in a worst-case scenario where you never win any additional money, you're guaranteed 50 spins before reaching the game over screen. However, it's highly likely that you will pick up a fair few wins during that time, which already increases how much time you get to spend with the game!

As you spin the reels, small coins with numbers on them will appear alongside the fruit symbols. The numbers on these coins will be totalled up and added to your trail climber. If that total amounts to 7, you'll be given the chance to use your nudges to try and create a winning line. If it amounts to 10 or more, then you'll be taken to the feature trail. The trail climber usually resets between each spin, but will be held on random occasions, given you a greater chance of accessing the features.

The feature trail works on a board game-style system. In the centre of it is a text display that flashes numbers from 1-12. Pressing the action button stops the display and then moves you that number of spaces around the trail. Depending on which square you land on, you might earn instant money, extra nudges or the chance to take a feature such as Gold Fever (5 instant win spins) or Gold Rush (multiply your current trail winnings). You can continue moving around the feature trail until you choose to collect the winnings you've earned on it, or you elect to play a feature.

There are also negative squares on the trail, which ultimately can cost you the money you've earned during your current time on the board. Thankfully these are generally infrequent. In all, it doesn't take long to start getting a few decent wins under your belt, and ultimately this adds to the enjoyment and addiction factor of the game.

This factor is perhaps the most important thing about the game, as it's very easy to just sit there and keep playing over and over again. Before you know it, your plan to just have a couple of spins has turned into several spins, and eventually you'll have been playing for half an hour to an hour! What's more, even if you do run out of time to play, the game will save your progress and allow you to pick up where you left off next time.

Unfortunately there's no option to "cash-out" and keep records of your highest winnings total, but given that the game has the potential to be never-ending (unless you do wind up extremely unlucky and lose everything), this isn't such a big deal.

The game's sounds are authentic and upbeat, without being annoying and you could easily play the game with the sound up without causing bother to the people around you. Okay, the music on the main menu isn't so great, but hey, you can't have it all!

Overall, Fruit Machine Gold, is a solid, playable, fun and extremely addictive mobile phone game. It's something you can play in a short burst, or as a means of whiling away an hour or two. The only thing you'll find yourself wanting is a hole at the bottom of your phone for the real money to fall out of!