Domino Fever
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| Domino Fever

Most people wouldn't expect to see the words 'domino' and 'exciting' in the same sentence. Not unless they're of a certain age and fondly recall a time when they were mere whippersnappers and played that high-octane game, Domino Rally.

Domino Rally, if you're wondering, was a hugely successful game back in the day where you had to line up dominos and set off various gadgets such as polystyrene missiles (ask your parents).

Let's face it, when most people think of dominos these days, the image conjured up is a two-litre bottle of coke, garlic bread and a large size Double Decadence. Yep, Domino's Pizza. Not very exciting, either.

But maybe the return of the classic game played in exotic locations by Latino grandads starts here, as mobile effort Domino Fever is prepared to put its spotted rectangle pieces where its mouth is and change your preconceptions. And we'll admit it makes a fair old fist of doing it, too.

The game presents the action in an overhead view of the playing area, with the domino pieces (or 'bones', as they are known in the 'hood) placed down on the centre of the table. You can play a bone on either end of the pack, thus progressing the snaking domino track up or down the screen. You can then easily scroll vertically as you decide which end to play your next bone, if multiple options are available.

Your opponents circle the playing area and you can see their male or female hands on the table. If you wait long enough you'll even see some of them take a swig from their beer bottle – a nice touch. As they make their moves, their hands push the dominos onto the area of play in a reasonably realistic way.

The object of the game is to play a variety of domino games across the Americas in locations such as Las Vegas, Miami, Mexico and Cuba, to name a few. In each location, you must play a round of the simpler versions of dominos such as Draw and Block, as well as slightly more complex versions like 3s and 5s.

In 3s, you lay a domino so that the two sides are the same at the contact point. But you must also pay attention to open ends. If they add up to a multiple of three then you'll score points. Predictably, in 5s you have to make the ends add up to multiples of five to gain extra points.

Each game has a target of points you have to reach to win, which in turn earns you money to enter harder competitions in more affluent areas, where the prize money is higher. You can even earn rewards such as gold rings that can then be sold for hard cash.

Throughout, the presentation in the game is of a very high standard, with lots of details, smooth animation and a nice clear playing area. The sound is realistic, too, particularly when the bones are placed or crashed down on the table, and there's some decent in-game music.

Domino Fever is a dark horse of a game, then. It has depth, with each style of domino game – especially the harder ones – proving to be an engrossing battle of strategy and wit. Match that to some lovely visuals and an impressive level of realism and you're onto a real winner.

Domino Fever

Domino Fever has longevity and is surprisingly well executed. A very good introduction to the art of dominos, then
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Chris Maddox
Chris Maddox
Liverpool fan, Chris, loves to watch the mighty Redmen play. In between matches however, he's an avid mobile games reviewer for Pocket Gamer. Chris has assured us that he only thinks about Liverpool FC a mere 80 per cent of the day.