Beer Slinger is fast-paced arcade-style homebrew for the Nintendo Entertainment System available from the good people over at Second Dimension.

I played this game on my original NES101 console using an NES101 dogbone controller. In Beer Slinger you take on the role of a new bartender wearing a spiffy pink vest. The boss tells you that the last bartender was recently fired and it's up to you to supply the masses with their beer all by yourself.

As day 1 begins the customers start flocking to the bar. It's your job to supply each barfly with whichever brew they request. Not only will the requested beer be displayed below the customer, but you will also hear a very nicely done voice synth requesting their desired suds. Behind you are several casks of beer you will need to go back and forth between in order to pour the beer and bring it to the bar.

You press "B" to pour and serve the beer. "A" can also be pushed in case you pour the wrong beer. Below each custumer has a meter that will start counting down as soon as the order is placed. Each successfully served beer earns you 5 dollars. After you hit your quota for the day, you move on to the next day.

As the days of the week progress the increased number of seats and casks has you making split second decisions on how to serve the beer before the customer's meters run out. Sometimes this means serving out of order depending on where the customer is sitting compared to where the correct cask is located. By day 4 you will be cursing the customer that keeps making you run all the way across the bar for their desired brew. I personally love games like this. The gameplay is simple but straight forward and you can feel yourself getting in the gaming zone as you keep playing and the orders come in faster and faster.

Get too many misses in one day and you can consider yourself fired. However, if you manage to make it through day 7, the boss will give you a pat on the back and a few well-deserved days off.

Beer slinger is a great arcade-style game that belongs up there with the best of the NES black box collection. The gameplay may seem simple but as the difficulty ramps up your reaction time and Nintendo thumb will be tested. Don't worry because the controls are crisp enough to give you a chance but are slightly slippery just to keep you on your toes as you run back and forth serving the masses.

The voice synth is a real nice touch in this game. You'll distinctively and clearly hear your customers ask for an IPA, wheat, stout, or lager. There are also different voices for females and more than one voice for the male patrons. The sprites are vibrant and adequate for gameplay. The background music is a decent track that doesn't get in the way of the customers orders but keeps the game lively and moving.

This game is a great addition to the NES library and I can easily imagine myself playing Beer Slinger on an arcade cabinet back in the day and enjoying every second.