Almost everything on the iPhone’s version of Deal or No Deal: Around the World is as seen on TV, except you don’t win real money.
On the upside, you don’t have to put up with having host Howie Mandel in your pocket at all times, as he is thankfully absent from this game, which is one of the more mediocre iPhone apps mirroring a television game show.
The rules are exactly the same: Twenty-six numbered suitcases contain different amounts of prize money. Set one aside at the beginning of the game and open the others one by one as a mysterious banker plays the odds by offering early payouts. It’s up to you to decide whether to take his deal or go for broke. As you win more money, you unlock eight different destinations around the world like Thailand, Egypt and Bermuda to reward your efforts.
For better or worse, the app simulates the television game show so well I was surprised it didn’t break for commercials. For example, the game still asks your “family” to weigh in on whether you should take the money and run before each decision, which lacks persuasion and wastes time when you realize the advice is coming from the same computer you’re trying to beat.
A multiplayer option is also available so you can share an iPhone (also available for iPod touch) or link by Bluetooth with a friend.
In the new “Banker Mode,” you get to make your own deals with contestants, but, sadly, this turns out to be almost as lame as Mandel’s new hidden-camera reality show. Almost.
