Where I live everybody
more or less keeps to themselves. It's peaceful but not exactly neighborly.
Occasionally I wish I had a neighbor who likes to fire up the barbecue
and invite everyone on the block over for some summertime fun and games.
(I guess I could be the one to do that but I haven't yet.) So when I
saw Joe's Yard Games video slot by IGT I knew I had to play. I figured
that's probably about as close as I'll get to hanging out with the neighbors
anytime soon!
Let's face it, shirtless,
cigar-smoking Joe looks like a big fat slob. But he's dreamed up some
clever competitions for his backyard contests and has everything one
needs for a suburban Sunday afternoon, including these symbols: a cooler,
badminton racket and shuttlecock, Frisbee, lawn mower, lawn chair, croquet,
horseshoes, pink flamingo and a shish kebob. The wild symbol is a doghouse,
the scene of some funny business when it comes up: sometimes a long,
long dachshund exits (that's double points). Another time a pink poodle
strolls by and gets the wiener dog's attention. Occasionally a tiny
terrier comes out and performs a few flips.
The slot has two
bonus rounds. The Balloon Toss Bonus starts when three Balloon Toss
symbols land in any position on reels 2, 3 and 4. A lineup of contestants
appears -- a boy, a girl, and a monkey (no explanation given) -- and
water ballons start to fly. Well, not just water balloons, sometimes
a bathroom sink is tossed. If a character catches the balloon, you win
bonus credits. If the balloon breaks over a character's head, that character
is out of the game. If someone catches the sink no credits are awarded.
The round ends when balloons pop over all three characters.
The Back Yard Bonus
starts when three, four or five Back Yard Bonus symbols land consecutively
on a played line. Joe himself says, "Welcome to my back yard!"
You select a contestant for whatever event will be held: a pogo-thon,
big-splash, tire press, pie-eating and horseshoe contest. I could choose
from a kid, a mom, a dog, a deep sea diver (again, no explanation given),
a lady and a man. I picked the dog for the pogo-thon (a pogo stick made
out of an umbrella). I advanced to the next event and kept advancing
as my character's score was not the lowest.
Next I picked the
kid, who juggled a bowling ball and bowling pins. Then I picked the
lady who pitched horseshoes under her raised leg. I picked the kid again
and this time he jumped on a trampoline to the edge of a swimming pool
whereupon he fell in and a giant purple octopus appeared. Finally I
picked the lady for the pie-eating contest at which she promptly fell
asleep with her face in the pie. Equally zany is that the audience is
composed of a snowman, a dinosaur and a penguin. What a neighborhood!
Of course, all these antics can add up to big bonus points. The round
ends when the chosen contestant has the lowest score in an event without
tying, or after five events, when Joe says, "You sure are one heck
of an athlete!"
If you're betting
the max and five Joe's Yard Games symbols appear on a played line, you
win the Top Reel Award, up to 300,000 credits.
With slots like
Joe's Yard Games, who needs neighbors? You can have all the fun you
want, and maybe win some money, without feeling like it's your turn
to host the next block party.
Until next time,
enjoy Life Among The Slots!