Walking into this game, I honestly had no idea of what to expect. I mean, it's video slots for goodness sakes, nothing could possibly be fun about it, right? I'm a guy who would much rather hear the clang of the money as it rattled around in the chute then play computer slots. Boy was I wrong, as myself, my wife and even my in-laws have all been hopelessly addicted to this title.

In Bonus Mania, you start the game off in the fictitious Phantom FX casino. There, you have your choice of about 24 slot machines. Each machine is unique in its stylings and appearance, and more then likely you will find one that appeals to you. My personal favorite is the "Dog Gone" slot machine where a cartoonish version of dogs solving mysteries is unfolding. This being one of the more modern machines, you can play up to seven lines on the machine. But let me explain this whole line thing to you first.

Did I win?

The fictitious part of these machines actually starts with the ability to change the value of the spins. In most casinos, you have machines that are valued differently, some are 5-cent machines and others are $100 machines, with all points in between. If you go to any casino, usually the nickel machines are pretty full up, same with the dime and quarter machines. Now what that means to you and this game is, you can play the selected denomination on any of the pay lines that are available. So if you are playing on a dollar machine, and there are seven lines, and you want to play them all, then it is seven dollars a spin. The odds makers will tell you that if you are going to play, then play all lines, because inevitably, if you are only playing one line (line one) then line five will hit it big, but since you didn't play that line, you won't get paid. Make sense? Good, then let's continue.

The whole point of this game is to see how much money (virtual) you can rack up. Getting the same character on the lines will obviously pay you, but since most of the machines are five reels wide, and feature all sorts of wacky stuff going on, you usually don't know if you are a winner until the thing is fully stopped. Remember, some of those pay lines aren't straight, they criss-cross and go all cattywumpus. But still, it can be great deals of fun, especially when you hit one of the machines bonus games. And when that happens, a mini-game of sorts comes up, sometimes it's automatic, other times it's something you can control. For example, that Kung Fu machine I am so fond of, one of the bonus games involves you catching fireflies with chopsticks. This is done using the mouse and button. For every firefly caught, you get 45 credits. Now depending on what you selected your machines denomination to be that could mean huge bucks for you. I usually catch around 25 fireflies in the 30 seconds alloted. And since I play $25 a credit, and each fly is worth 45 credits, I usually clean up but good.

Of course, the game is somewhat rigged in your favor as well, since you can select real world or fantasy world odds. Fantasy world is clearly the way to go, as your chances of getting to those bonus games is greatly increased. But there are those players out there who want a serious
challenge, so there they go.

The graphics are pretty smooth looking. Since it isn't a graphically demanding title, you won't need a very powerful graphics card to see the bright lights and spinning reels. I like how the title is conveyed visually with it's graphics ranging from cutesy to hard-core. The varying sound effects that come out of the machines is also pretty cool. That Kung Fu machine, lots of Eastern twangs and martial arts sounds, it's cool. But then when you play the rock guitar machine, the music becomes more up beat and of course "rock-like" My point is that some real thought not only went into the machines' design, but into the audio aspect as well.

Gameplay: 8.0
Easy to pick up, but difficult to master some of those bonus games. A real treat to play for anyone of the appropriate maturity.

Graphics: 8.4
Smooth framerate when the reels are spinning. Nice looking casino and the machines all employ a unique visual experience.

Sound: 8.4
Cool music, casino like atmosphere, lots of audible action. An MP3 is also available at the top of the screen and it plays music that fits the tone of the machine as well. Light melodic tunes to hard rock jams, the game has a distinct sound to it.

Difficulty: Medium
It's easy to make a million dollars on the fantasy setting, but try doing it on the real world setting and you are up the proverbial creek.

Concept: 8.3
Your play is also tracked by the casino and as you accumulate experience, other machines are opened up as well as a rewards section featuring valuable gems... ooooohhhhh, ahhhhhh.

Overall: 8.3
For a game to be really fun, there has to be that hook, well, this title has that hook. As in hooked me into playing it all-the-time. A popular game in my house right now and I imagine will be for quite a while.