Dolphin Paradise Pachinko is a Other game offered by Playtech games provider.

This game is a variation on the old Japanese game of Pachinko, which is roughly equivalent in Western terms to a hybrid of Pinball and Slots. The main difference from either of these games is a marked absence of player control once the game is in motion. It takes the pinging a ball-bearing around a machine element from Pinball and the flashing reels of characters that you want to match when they come to a stop element from fruit machines.

The player sets the game in motion by first choosing the power with which balls will be fired into the machine, then clicking on the Play button on screen. The game then fires a series of balls into the playing area which is adorned by bumpers and shelves. At the bottom of this area there is a chucker (yes, a chucker) - which is an opening into which balls can fall. If a ball lands in this chucker, you win another four free balls and a fruit-machine style series of numbered reels starts to spin. If the top and bottom reel stop on the same number, a mini-game is triggered. There are a number of different mini-games:

Reel Spin - the middle reel spins again.

Pass Circle - the dolphin jumps through the circle three times, each time producing a number. The last of them is the number that will complete the win line.

Dive - the dolphin and the girl dive into the pool three times, each time producing a number. The last of them is the number that will complete the win line.

Attack Numbers - the dolphin jumps across the screen and bumps a ball with a number. This is repeated three times, each time producing a number. The last of them is the number that will complete the win line.

Push Ball ? the dolphin jumps out of the pool and hits a ball three times, each time producing a number. The last of them is the number that will complete the win line.

Dolphin Race - two dolphins race a shark. Each of them carries a number. The number of the creature that crosses the finish line first is the number that will complete the win line.

This game, like Mahjong, is mildly confusing, but for different reasons. There is so much - too much at times - going on onscreen. As well as this, the game doesn't stop until you ask it to - and if a mini-game is in progress it takes a while to do even that. The lack of player input into the game makes it less than enjoyable - perhaps a recovering pinball addict would get something out of it, but it left me unimpressed.