At first glance, the combination of the Leisure Suit Larry franchise and a casino game sounds like a match made in sleaze heaven. Those who want to be richer and smoother than Rico Suave will definitely find the style of play satisfying. But the truth of the matter is that the actual gameplay offered in Larry's Casino is a far cry from a solid casino experience.
Leisure Suit Larry's Casino is more of a virtual casino simulation than a gambling game. It allows you to assume the guise of a high roller at a casino owned by the sleaze-king himself, Larry. The single-player game allows you to play five standard casino games, and the Internet multiplayer style gives even more varieties of play through interaction with other players in a comedy club and party games. Within the context of the casino atmosphere, you win money and spend it at the gift shop, restaurant, or bar. Furthermore, these places offer the chance to schmooze with other players before heading back to the gambling tables.
The problems with this game all stem from its lack of focus. Each individual casino game (poker, craps, roulette, slots, blackjack) lacks the depth of options and gameplay that some of the more detailed gambling games have. Poker, for example, only offers five single-player versions (one more is available online) and very limited play options. The computer opponents you play against are randomly selected and are not configurable as to playing style. The only game with a decent set of play options is blackjack. The other games just present standard casino fare and don't go far to help you develop any casino skills. Even the slot machines are pretty much standard, and their winning options don't change from one machine to the next, only a graphics change lets you know you're at a different machine.
Now as bad as the casino play is, the online party games do offer some fun. The premise here is that if you lose all your cash, you can get some back by playing games that test your charisma instead. The three games available are Pick-Up Master, the Funny Comedy Club, and Say What?!. Probably the most entertaining is Say What?!, a game in which players make up definitions for words submitted by others. The catch here is that these games are online only, so your enjoyment of these is only as good as the people you're playing against.
What's the bottom line? If you're looking for a good casino game, this definitely isn't it. There are other games that allow the science of beating the odds to come to the fore. If you're looking for an interesting party game to chat it up with some people online and meet people unashamed to have their character icons appear as swingers who look like they're constantly sitting in a hot tub, then Larry's Casino is worth a look.
