Here is my understanding of what has changed, given the usual caveat that versions do differ so some of this may not apply to 'your' boxes:
NEW GAMES
- Battleships
This is the one with the really annoying 'screen shake' effect when you score a hit. The game itself seems very highly controlled - it will give the odd £2 or £3 (on the £1 game) but will happily then give the killer questions and/or only one or two ships to find.
- Go for Gold
A slightly new take on the numerous 'fill in the letters' games. There are three prize levels - Gold, Silver and Bronze - for which you need to collect 5 coins by moving up and across a grid (in a similar manner to some fruit machines, e.g. the 'Aliens' one). The prizes start at £3, £2 and £1 respectively and there are 'Cash Up' squares that add smallish amounts to those. I can see this one having quite a lot of appeal to punters but in terms of more serious dosh you are very unlikely to ever find it in a paying state as punters will nibble at those low prizes.
- Bounty Hunter
This has been on the Gamesnets for a while. I find it a poor and overcomplicated take on Caesar's Palace (made by the same people I think - Libra Games) with noddy 'skill' games and uninteresting questions. Hard to see who this would appeal to.
- John Parrott Sports Quiz
The same game as on the Gamesnets, i.e. some low-hanging fruit if you are lucky but it seems to be installed in non-pay mode on the ItBoxes and so you are equally likely to see impossible questions only 4 or 5 in.
- Hex Maniac
? - May not be new as it was on the back screen.
MOVED TO BACK SCREEN
(hence out of sight as far as many punters are concerned)
- Choose to Lose
- Robin Hood
GONE
- Rocket Money
In true Brando style this one really could (and should) have been a contender but was ruined by a ridiculous question set that had no concept of difficulty grading. If any game would have benefited from the sort of visit grecian and I made to GWHL to advise on its quality beforehand, this was it.
- Word Soup
A loyal customer base (not just the top boys on here - this is one of the games you ALWAYS see punters playing) and not liable to pay out huge amounts of cash to anyone. Mystifying to see it go when you see some of the garbage that has been retained.DODGY INSTALLATION
One of the two 'headline' games on the front screen claims to be the £1/£50 Monopoly but disappointingly you find only the inferior 50p/£20 game instead.
Overall another poor showing from what was once the clear market leader.
