If at the heart of any gamble is the weighing up of risk against reward then Astraware Casino is a sure bet to provide great value and hours of entertainment.
For a very modest stake you get 11 well-known casino games.
The full list is Texas hold 'em no limit, blackjack, three-card poker, Texas hold 'em limit, roulette, craps, video poker, slots, baccarat, video derby and video keno.
Not all of them will be to your liking, but you’re bound to find a few you enjoy. For me it’s blackjack, slots and roulette.
The games are wrapped up in a nicely presented package.
The menu screen is laid out like a casino – simply touch each game to visit that area of the room.
Just like being on holiday, you have a suitcase to store souvenirs from your trip to the casino. Items are awarded as you unlock various achievements from the playing the games.
There is also a stats page, which keeps track of the times played and whether you’re up or down in each of the games.
Though you’re given $1,000 in your virtual wallet to start off with, there is an in-game bank where you can get an overdraft should you need it or, more optimistically, store your winnings.
As with the menu screen, the presentation of the games is very nice. Everything is laid out very clearly and tidily. The design throughout the game is very clean.
The touch-and-drag controls in the games work very well, it’s easy to hit all the right buttons.
Though all the games play very well, none of them stand out as being exceptional. Elsewhere in the App Store there are better versions of many of the individual games offered in Astraware.
Some of the individual games lack a little bit of depth. For instance, the slots machine has no bonus games – it’s just spinning of the reels in the hope of getting a winning combo. The roulette games is great but could just do with an extra layer added, like a summary page after each spin which explains the outcome of your bets.
But while there are slight improvements that could be made to the games, the main selling point of Astraware isn’t its individual parts – it’s that Astraware provides a good, solid, all-round collection of fun casino games.
Real-life casinos have been pretty intimidating places in my experience. I’ve been to a few in America, which have been full of noise and flashing lights. I also once went to a proper tuxedo-and-martini style casino in Gibraltar – I was completely out of place and managed to lose what money I had with me in about 30 seconds.
Online gambling also scares me because I think it would be incredibly easy to lose a lot of money very quickly.
Fortunately Astraware Casino is accessible and friendly. It’s a great place for casual players like me who fancy having a flutter without risking any actual cash.
Clear instructions are given for each game and the stakes start off low to ease players in.
As I’ve said, the presentation overall is very polished but one element which could do with beefing up is the audio. The sounds need improving to make it feel like you’re in a casino and to improve the atmosphere.
All things considered, this is easily the best casino package I’ve yet played for the iPhone/iPod. It’s great to be able to carry a casino around in my pocket and lay down some chips whenever the mood strikes.
Astraware Casino from Handmark is available now in the iTunes App Store.
Verdict: 7.5 out of 10 – Fun, addictive, well presented package of casino games which offers excellent value for money.
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