I’m not a gambler, never have been really.  Sure I might make the occasional bet on the Melbourne Cup, or slip a couple of dollars into the office tipping comp, but otherwise it’s never really interested me.  Hell, I worked at an office in Star City Casino for two years, and never once got tempted to go and put cash into a poker machine, or lay down a bit of moolah on the blackjack tables.  So why then is Real Deal: Gold Rush so incredibly enthralling?

Gold Rush is a casino game, with many (many!) table and slot-machine games available for play both offline and in an MMO-style environment online.  The individual experience is very solid, with the multitude of games on offer meaning that there is inevitably something you will find entertaining, and there’s always something new to learn.

The presentation is top-notch; a casino floor is virtually recreated, with little people playing games at little tables or sitting at the pokies.  Navigation of the virtual casino is as simple as moving your mouse around and clicking on the game you want to play; to simplify things even further, you can instead navigate to the game of your choice via a drop down menu in the corner of the screen; a great emphasis has been placed on making everything as intuitive as possible, and it really shows.

The poker machines are all recreated faithfully, with all the flashing lights, whirling displays, and fun little minigames that you get with the real thing.  The various card games, as well as casino favourites like roulette or craps are also displayed realistically and animated well; the dealers actually deal out cards, and the virtual dice roll convincingly.  All the sounds are there as well, and add to the experience, although the ‘muzak’ may soon get on your nerves; luckily there is a built in mp3 player, so your own music collection can be imported if you get over it.

The meat and potatoes of Gold Rush is of course the games themselves, and this casino sim delivers in spades.  While I’m not much of a real life gambler, I do enjoy various card games, especially everyone’s favourite Texas Hold’em.  Multiple versions of all the popular card games exist, as well as quite a few rather obscure ones which are nonetheless fun, and well worth learning if you do like to frequent real life casinos.  The various poker machines are all well presented, and I’m sure are great if you enjoy that kind of thing (I admit I’ve always disliked the pokies).  The various other games on offer are also well recreated.  Some games might not be up your alley, and occasionally they may be a little bit obscure or just not as much fun as the others, but nonetheless everything is well made and you’ll find something that tickles your fancy.

The presentation and user-friendliness cannot be understated; every game has the complete rules listed at the bottom of the screen, as well as an explanation of HOW to play, which is a pretty important but oft-neglected aspect of so many games.  Your stats are also presented in an easy to access and understand manner, so you’ll know exactly how much cash you’ve laid out, and how often you’ve lost (if you’re like me, anyway).  The game even presents you with various odds, and also allows the choice between real-world and game odds, with the real-world being much less forgiving.

Of course, there comes a time where betting fake money against fake people just starts to wear a little thin for some.  It is at this time that you can take advantage of the multiplayer aspects of the game.  For a very cheap subscription fee (the first month is free), you can take things online and start (if you’re still at all like me) losing money to real people, instead of just bots.  Multiplayer really opens things up; as you play more games, you level up ala a traditional RPG, and through levelling up you begin to unlock more and more content, including multiple different tournaments.  You also get your own place to stay at the casino, and can use your funds to purchase furnishings, which helps to make everything feel a little more real, as well as feeding the “just one more game” mentality so familiar to anyone which has played any form of MMO.

Gold Rush also offers online betting on various real-life sporting and racing events; these are localised to America (so it’s NHL, NFL, etc), but nonetheless it’s a great feature and adds a bit of real world spice to the action, without allowing you to waste your real world money.

Reel Deal: Gold Rush was a really surprising game for me, and a bit of an educational experience to boot.  The huge collection of games, the slick presentation, and the extensive online components, all make Gold Rush a very comprehensive and highly enjoyable game.  If you’re already a professional gambler in training, this will be your Valhalla; an authentic online casino to realistically practice games without the need to lose all that cash.  Even if the whole gambling thing doesn’t do it for you, however, Gold Rush is still a surprisingly fun way to spend some time, and may just help to bring out your inner cardshark; even if it doesn’t, you’ll at least be able to show off your knowledge of Dragon Bonus Baccarat to all your friends and pretend like you’re an expert.            

Graphics: 7.5/10 (Good graphics and animations are far slicker than most casual games, especially casino ones.)

Sound: 6/10 (All relevant sound effects you’d hear in a real casino are there, although the music can be annoying.)

Gameplay: 8/10 (A huge amount of varied games, as well as numerous online tournaments; adding real people makes the experience even more fun.)

Longevity: 10/10 (An essentially unlimited experience; new content is regularly available, and the existing games can be played until whenever you grow tired of them.  Online gaming and betting on real events means that there is always something new around the corner.)

Overall: 9/10 (The complete casino experience in every way possible; while it may not convert everyone into a lover of games of chance, it is impossible to deny that this is probably the most thorough and enjoyable virtual gamble you are likely to have.)

-Tim Sweeney