In a way, this game's name is somewhat ironic. After all, if the rumours are true about the big casinos pumping oxygen in to keep gamblers awake, midnight might as well be midday. Then again, Midday Casino doesn't sound quite as good as a mobile game title.
Anyway, Midnight Casino it is for Gameloft's latest casual game. And no prizes for guessing where it's set, either. Just concentrate on your chance to be a high-roller in the glitzy gambling world instead.
Having previously tackled Hold'em poker as part of its Midnight series, here Gameloft focuses on three other forms of casino gambling: roulette, blackjack and video poker (that's the one played on machines, not on a traditional poker table).
The game offers two routes to gambling. Quick Play enables you to jump in to play one of the events, and is suitable if you fancy killing a few spare minutes. However, the core of Midnight Casino is its Casino mode. Here, you get to actually nose around an isometric casino, scrolling through tables to choose which to play at in order to increase your initial wad of $200.
In constrast, in Casino mode it's not just about the three games. Different tables have different bet ranges and regulations, for example, while some are running tournaments where you pay an entry fee and start with the same amount of money as the other players, with the aim of remaining the last gambler standing. Or sitting.
As you might expect, the inclusion of other mobile-controlled players adds a fun dimension to Midnight Casino, while the different variants of video poker provide more depth as you try to master each version's idiosyncrasies.
The casino itself looks good, with plenty going on inside it. You don't spend much time on this screen though – the actual games have less flashy two-dimensional visuals, although the screens are well organised to give you all the information you'll need while betting.
The controls are equally straightforward, with tutorials on hand to explain how the different games work. The game's fast-paced, too, cleverly recreating the feel of a real-life casino (translation: you can chuck a fortune away playing blackjack in just a few minutes, without realising it).
If Midnight Casino's title had you got you hungry for a simple fruit machine sim, you'll clearly want to look elsewhere. But if you're a gambling aficionado, or just fancy winning some virtual cash in a game that requires a bit more strategy, place your bets on this one.
Midnight Casino
Slicker than a Las Vegas showman, this is an excellent and involving gambling game
Stuart Dredge
Stuart is a freelance journalist and blogger who's been getting paid to write stuff since 1998. In that time, he's focused on topics ranging from Sega's Dreamcast console to robots. That's what you call versatility. (Or a short attention span.)