Leisure Suit Larry's Casino (PC)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.1 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Tahsin Shamma
• Reviewed on: 08/20/1998
• Updated on: 05/01/2000
• Released on: 06/30/1998
• Originally published on GameSpot: Leisure Suit Larry's Casino (PC) Review

At first glance, the combination of the Leisure Suit Larry franchise and a casino game sounds like a match made in sleaze heaven. Those who want to be richer and smoother than Rico Suave will definitely find the style of play satisfying. But the truth of the matter is that the actual gameplay offered in Larry's Casino is a far cry from a solid casino experience.

Leisure Suit Larry's Casino is more of a virtual casino simulation than a gambling game. It allows you to assume the guise of a high roller at a casino owned by the sleaze-king himself, Larry. The single-player game allows you to play five standard casino games, and the Internet multiplayer style gives even more varieties of play through interaction with other players in a comedy club and party games. Within the context of the casino atmosphere, you win money and spend it at the gift shop, restaurant, or bar. Furthermore, these places offer the chance to schmooze with other players before heading back to the gambling tables.

The problems with this game all stem from its lack of focus. Each individual casino game (poker, craps, roulette, slots, blackjack) lacks the depth of options and gameplay that some of the more detailed gambling games have. Poker, for example, only offers five single-player versions (one more is available online) and very limited play options. The computer opponents you play against are randomly selected and are not configurable as to playing style. The only game with a decent set of play options is blackjack. The other games just present standard casino fare and don't go far to help you develop any casino skills. Even the slot machines are pretty much standard, and their winning options don't change from one machine to the next, only a graphics change lets you know you're at a different machine.

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