Poker BlackJack Casino Tour

Set in a 3D representation of a real casino, the player must complete certain objectives to unlock further objectives and new casinos.
It's pseudo-3D really as - in a Myst-like fashion - you can only move left, right, forward or back to the next viewpoint.
Get to a table or a slot machine that you like and you can play that game. Virtually every game you can think of is covered.
All the obvious like poker, blackjack and roulette are there as well as variations such as no-limit Texas hold 'em,
Omaha hold 'em and 7 card stud. There's also the more obscure games such as casino war, fortune pai gow and baccarat.
You'll also find sports betting available as well as poker tournaments.
With so many games Poker BlackJack Casino Tour on offer there's thankfully some tutorials to teach you the rules -
perhaps a further nod to the casual gambler demographic that this title is targeting.
These are nicely presented animated videos but can still leave you with some questions.
For instance, does anyone really understand craps? It seems an overly complex and incomprehensible game even after watching the tutorial.
So, is it too much to ask for a nice gentle introduction to the game itself, taking one aspect of the rules in turn,
building upon the basics until you are familiar with them all? Seemingly, yes. Once in the casino you can only play the full game.
To make matters worse, the tutorials are only available before you start the main adventure mode so once you begin,
it is impossible to watch them again and familiarize yourself with the rules.
Unless you quit out of the game of course which is a further hindrance.
Why no hints and tips as you are playing? Why not have some advice from a seasoned gambler?
These factors are a major oversight as unless you are indeed a regular gambler, you will probably need to access the the tutorials often.
But then, regular gamblers will probably not find much solace in this form of pseudo-gambling.
Some things can't be faulted though. Visually it's very clean and very Las Vegas.
The audio is good with cheerful tunes, background ambience and table chatter.
The latter is interesting for a while but does become bothersome. Thankfully it can be turned off.
Technically and as a feat of coding, the game is impressive.
But as a concept it doesn't hang together and that's when the design needs to be looked at.
As these are based on real-world games, does anyone actually play them in isolation, by themselves and with no money involved? Sure,
with friends they can become fun, but then even when no money is at stake it often comes down to the social aspect and the one-up-manship involved.
Playing solo feels almost pointless, no matter how much polish the game is given.