Producer: Martech
Retail Price: £8.95
Okay you 'fellas' you all know Samantha Fox, right. You've ogled at her pictures, watched her on television chat shows, listened to her record. Now play her at strip poker. Well, it's not really Sam Fox, but your humble Spectrum who plays the game and supplies pictures of the lumpy page three girl. Samantha Fox Strip Poker plays you at the classic Seven Card Stud poker game. Both you and the computer start with 999 credits apiece and you must win as many points as you can by betting on your cards. Every time you reduce the computer's points by one hundred you are rewarded with a digitised picture of Sam Fox taking her clothes off, starting with her gloves at 800 points then the rest of her clothing piece by piece... If she starts winning back the lost points then her clothing is retrieved and if you start losing points then she starts ordering you to take your clothes off, whether you comply or not is another matter.
The game is controlled by two keys - one to choose one of the options presented after a dealing and the other to select it. The game is made foolproof by the computer referee who only gives the options relevant for that go, eliminating any mistakes which could otherwise be made.
For the uninitiated Seven Card Stud is a game where the player has to try to make the best hand possible out of the seven cards dealt, the best hand winning the 'pot'. When a hand starts the player is dealt three cards, the third being dealt face upwards so your opponent can see it. From these three cards you must decide whether to pass (throw them in) check (keep your cards but not bet) or bet. The betting continues until either a player calls or both players check. When that happens a further card is dealt and the betting continues. If you have what you think is a jolly good hand then you can up the stakes by raising. The game follows this pattern until all seven cards have been dealt, then the betting continues until a player calls, then both hands are shown and the best hand winds the pot. Throughout a hand there is the option to pass and other relevant options can be chosen if desired.
On the 'B' side of the cassette is an added bonus. No Sam Fox, but a four player Seven Card Stud poker game. The rules are the same but here you can play against up to three computer opponents. In this game there are another two options auto where the computer takes a decision for you and demo, very useful if you're new to poker and want to see what the game is about (try playing two computer players against one another).
COMMENTS
Control keys: SPACE to cycle options, ENTER to choose it
Joystick: not needed
Keyboard play: very simple, fine
Use of colour: as you might expect for a card game
Graphics: the pictures of Sammy are reasonably good, cards very good
Sound: thin version of 'The Entertainer' and a few bloops
Skill levels: one
I must admit that I find computer poker games boring and pointless, it's much more fun playing with humans. As for getting a page three model to officially endorse a 'strip' poker game, what a con. What you get is a very good poker game with a couple of crummy digitised pictures of Sam Fox 'stripping off' - wow! Why not just buy The Sun for a week and you can ogle at the pictures there - they're of far better quality and a lot cheaper. The whole thing somehow seems rather tasteless. Still, for poker fans, there's at least the consolation of the game itself, and this will probably prove worthwhile.
I decided to settle down one evening and see if I could find out Sammy's secrets all the way through. Well I did, all the way through, right to the Page 3 picture at the end when Sam ended up bust (no pun intended). Despite the obvious enjoyment, I was glad I hadn't bought the game - finishing it on the first session was a bit of a shame - not my idea of value for money, but I was very lucky: no one else in the office got further than the second picture. The game itself is very good and contains some lovely detailed cards and a nice smooth dealing sequence. If I wanted to be niggly I could say it takes a bit long your turn comes round, but as a card game this is one of the best and Sam Fox Poker is a must for all Sam Fox fans. Surely the sequel must be animated with a print-out option!
Usually I really enjoy computer card games, in this case however even with the promise of seeing Sam Fox's naughty bits I wasn't really compelled to stick with it until I had mastered the game. The input is pretty limited so I didn't really ever feel that I was in total control of my game, it would have been nice to raise the betting by a couple of hundred 'credits' for instance. The graphical representation of the cards on screen is fair but they could be a little larger or a little more detailed, Sam herself is fairly well drawn but she has lost whatever she had, during the conversion onto computer. The sound also leaves a little to be desired as there is only one tune and a few spot FX here and there. The main moan I have about both these games is that they are very slow, there is always a long pause between goes, so interest is lost very quickly. Generally I don't think Sam's pixels are worth the nine quid being asked.
Martech
£7.95
I can see I'm gonna get pretty cold playing this game. Still, whooor, eh? Sam Fox Strip Poker? S'gotta be a winner, innit? (dribble, slaver, drool, stream of sexist blubbering).
Yep, it's true. You too can bet your shirt in a game of naughty poker with Samantha Fox. No, ya big loop, not the real one, a sooper dooper on-screen digitised one. Is it any good, though, I hear you smirk? Well, all comments about the dubious logic behind computer-based strip poker aside, it's not really all that bad, mate.
Using Sammy's much coveted bod as a gimmick for a game of this type would be a bit naff if the game itself was a feeble excuse for a pervy cardgame. But as it happens it's not.
The program features a high degree of artificial intelligence, it says 'ere, so that Sammy analyses your play and alters her strategy accordingly. Hmm. I don't know whether this is strictly true, or whether she can actually see my cards, it's hard to say. But she did seem to know if the hand she had was worse than mine. Helpful if you want to win, I'd have said. And she does. Time after time after time! Look, you can call me a perv if you want, but the main thing that really bugged me was that Sammy doesn't take her clothes off! Even if you win two or three hands in a row she is still pictured wearing what looks like every piece of clothing she owns. Damn and Blast!
So, if the combined thrill of gambling and naked bodies fills you with anticipation, then off you go, with my blessing. But before you get too excited, I warn you. It's not easy!
MACHINE: Spectrum 48K
SUPPLIER: Martech
PRICE: £8.95
What is a reputable company such as Martech doing unloading this piece of sexploitation onto an unsuspecting public? Trying to make money, that's what. And by all accounts demand for the game is very high.
You've all heard of - and seen - Samantha Fox. Her more than ample charms have been displayed in most of the popular national newspapers.
Even C+VG's Editor - a man known for his exceptionally sheltered life-style - recognised Sam from the signed pin-up picture which accompanied this game.
The game starts with the first of several digitised pictures of Samantha Fox. She's wearing - wait for it - a hat, coat, scarf and a pair of glasses.
You then play seven card stud poker against the computer. Win several hands and a new picture of Samantha appears on the screen. Get the idea?
But why bother. If you want to see pictures of Samantha buy a 20 pence newspaper. The picture quality is better as well.
But did your primly Y-fronted reviewer win? To tell the truth I gave up after the fourth digitised picture and bought a copy of The Sun.
Samantha Fox Strip Poker is also available for the Spectrum 128K for £8.95 and the Amstrad £8.95 for cassette.
Spectrum & Amstrad
Martech
Card Game
£8.95
Right, no jokes about "raising her pair" or "she was trying hard to disguise her flush". All that kind of sexist stuff is out. Dear old Sammy, bless her, everyone's favourite topless model. Star of page three, chatshows, records and now computer games.
The game is seven-card stud. As Sam loses money, so the clothes disappear - £200 equals one layer, it is no easy task, as she plays a reasonably good game and is by no means reckless with her money. Most hands tend to finish with one or other player folding while the stakes are still low. While playing the hand, the pot, your remaining money, and the hands are displayed. At the end of the hand, a sequence of frames shows Miss Fox's present state of deshabile. The detail is such that even admirers might feel they were missing something. When you have had sufficient of that you can turn to side two and play a four-handed game.
An unoriginal idea put together in a fairly ordinary way. but probably Sammy's assets will turn it into a number one.
Martech
£8.95
Martech's poker package offers two seven card stud poker games. On one side of the tape you can take on up to three opponents and on the other you can take off all your clothes in front of graphic screens featuring Samantha Fox.
Seven Card stud poker is the variation where the first two cards and the last card are dealt face down and if you've ever seen the film The Cincinnati Kid you'll know just how riveting this game can be. It's sad to say that even with the gimmick of Sam Fox shedding her clothes (which after all is no great revelation), the game doesn't have the excitement of the real thing.
The disappointment is in the betting system. You start with equal stakes but your betting is vetted by a computer 'referee' who will only offer a limited range of options. This prevents you not only from betting wildly which is half the fun of a gambling simulation but also blocks some apparently sensible decisions. For instance you might want to stack your cards but can't or you may want to call and are only given the chance to check or raise.
As for the titanic tussle with Sam, it seems that you are not likely to lose your shirt as her play seems to have been programmed so she loses hers as rapidly as possible. If this was all there was to the package the novelty would wear thin very quickly so wisely there is a fully clothed version of the game on side two.
The four player game, where three hands are taken by the computer offers a little more of a challenge but not enough to make it addictive as two of the computer players usually drop out of the game very early leaving you with a single opponent. The instructions promise that each computer player has its own "ability and playing style" and can adapt their 'thinking' to counter your play. After playing for a while I was still unable to decide whether the instructions were bluffing.
in its favour the game is fast enough to avoid lengthy waits between bets but the biggest drawback is the lack of a freehand when it comes to the betting.
All information in this page is provided by ZXSR instead of ZXDB