Game review: Slingo Supreme - iPhone / iPod Touch

When I saw there was an iPod Touch and iPhone version available I decided to give it a spin – and suddenly I’m hooked.

Slingo Supreme is the perfect kind of casual game to play when you have five minutes to kill.

It doesn’t require much thought – it’s just lots of bright colours, cute graphics, happy noises and fun gameplay.

The game has two main modes of play – classic and supreme.

In each game of classic Slingo you have a 5x5 board of randomly generated numbers similar to a bingo card.

At the bottom of the screen there are five reels which are spun once on each of the 20 turns in the game.

The aim is to match numbers that the slots produce with numbers in the corresponding columns above on your card.

Points are awarded for chalking off numbers as well as completing rows, columns, diagonals and the whole card.

Bonuses appear on the reels sometimes, such as free spins, extra points or jokers which can be used to remove any number from the board.

Sometimes a devil is revealed and he steals points.

Supreme mode plays out very similarly to classic, except for the addition of power-ups and mini games.

There are 16 power-ups which are gradually unlocked by playing games and reaching required stats for things such as matches, spins and jokers.

The power-ups include score multipliers, extra spins and a handy reel nudge.

Before starting you need to choose which of your unlocked boosts you want to take into the next game. You only have a limited number of slots to equip for each game so it requires careful selection to maximise your scoring potential.

Like power-ups, more slots can be unlocked the more you play.

During games power-ups are activated when they appear on the reels or behind a matched number.

Having to be selective on what boosts to use in each game may sound restrictive but, a bit like Plants vs Zombies, it’s actually not a bad thing because it means each game can be different and it adds a strategic element into play.

It’s good to have some planning in the game because there is very little skill involved in the rest of is. A lot of success in Slingo is down to pure luck, just like bingo is a game of chance.

It’s luck, for example, that determines when the devil appears. Luckily in supreme mode there is the chance to play the devil at some mini games to stop him stealing points and actually win some extra points instead.

These include rock paper scissors, a cups-and-shell memory game and a luck-of-the-draw playing card duel.

If you lose one of the mini games the devil takes some of your score away but if you win you receive a points increase.

It’s also possible to guard against the devil using the protection power-up which can be unlocked.

As well as classic and supreme modes, Slingo Supreme also includes daily challenges which set score targets using power-ups picked for you.

Slingo Supreme is great fun to play and fans of the original should love this new version, especially the supreme mode with its power-ups and devil games.

It’s been really well designed by developer Funkitron, with vibrant and jolly visuals coupled with cheery sounds.

I’m told one of the big appeals of playing Slingo on PC was the social side of it, playing against other people and chatting during games.

Unfortunately online play is not part of Slingo Supreme. Leaderboards are local only, not worldwide.

It would be nice to see these things included in the future but for now Slingo Supreme is a very enjoyable – and rather addictive – solo experience on iPhone and iPod Touch.

If you’re a fan of casual casino-type games, this one comes highly recommended.

Verdict: 8 out of 10 – If you like slots or bingo then you’ll love them both together in Slingo – a colourful, fun and addictive game.