Deal or No Deal: The Banker Is Back

I rated the previous incarnation of this game on DS as 1 star, and compared it to a 1980s computer game; it just reeked of "cashing in".

This version, however, reeks of a professional finish. It gives you a decent game with a much better interface; it looks as if the designer has actually watched the game first.

It starts with a video of the intro with sound - very professional.

There are the 22 numbers boxes, not all numbered in order, as in the previous version, but instead in 2 wings with people behind them. You can use the analogue buttons or click the left or right arrows to move to the next box, and then press the box to select/open it. And there are two minor problems with this:

1. There is no wrap-around effect. You cannot go "left" off the West wing to get to the furthest East of the East wing; you have to go all the way round.

2. You have to press the screen to select; you cannot use the "select" button or any of the other keys (I believe). It should really be possible to avoid touching the screen to play this game.

After 5 (and later, 3) box openings, the Banker gives you an offer, which in the games I have played have all been realistic. You can Deal or No Deal - either way, you still play to the end.

There are no stupid three-card tricks in this game. Whilst you can play the game in the usual, straight-forward manner, you can also play a version where you "challenge the banker", by getting the correct combination of 4 numbers from 1-7 in the right order in a game of Mastermind. I'm hoping it's from 1-7; the wheels that you have to use go from 1 to 8, but you cannot select 8!

You can also play as the Banker. I notice that a review in the Wii version says "you literally just have to watch the computer play"; well, that's what the Banker does until it's his turn.

What else is good/bad about it? You create a profile (but are only allowed 6 characters for your name), and your progress is tracked by the Banker as you earn his "Respect", presumably a number which goes from 0 to 100 (and starts at 50). Also, the phone has a lot more prominence than in the previous version. However, Noel is still not animated well, and his commentary (on screen, not spoken) are not helpful at all.

What do I think of it? It is a more than decent game, let down a bit by a few annoying things. It takes only 5 minutes to play a game, so good for a quick play; however, the more you play, the more you may wish for the annoyances not to be there. Basically, this is the game they should have had first time. I sold my copy of the first version; I wouldn't sell this copy.

Bought this thinking it might be " fun " but it's so dull it's unbelieveable !

The voice-overs are all the same ..... sorry but at £ 6 ish it's still over priced. Shame !

after playing it once it becomes a bit boring and repetative. As no skill is required and is purely guesswork it needs some element of a puzzle in it to add some exitement and sense of achievement. The same as the game show on tv except your not actually winning anything and only competing against your own score or others.