After a heavy-duty stint of updating our Casinos section, I'd been looking for a little diversion. Since OddsOn was one of the new software providers we added to the database, I thought I'd give one of their licencees a look-see.

Orion Casino uses the OddsOn JAVA-based games package. Usually, JAVA games are of the no-download variety, but not so here. Follow the "Download" link at Orion's web site and you'll be offered one of three basic packages --Blackjack, Slots or Video Poker-- each weighing in around the 7 Mb mark. The idea is that you get a game and the base package to which you can add further games later.

Okay, Blackjack package downloaded and installed, no problems. Boot it up and register, so far so good. I started with "Play for Fun" as I always do and found that I rather liked the look and feel. They're not the most heavy-duty, cutting-edge games in the world but they're pleasantly fast, have an easy-to-use interface and no unpleasant surprises. I liked the bright table, the sound of the chips and the dealer's calls. Kind of reminded me of some of the Vegas casinos, actually. Anyway, I played about 30 or 40 hands of BJ and neither won outrageously nor lost inordinately so I was ready to try a few of the other games.

When you click on a game you don't have downloaded yet, the server offers you the choice of getting them all at once. Don't do it! I tried this two or three times in a row and it crashed my computer every time. Instead, I downloaded one game at a time and that worked nicely, albeit with restarts between each game.

In all, Orion offers Blackjack, VideoPoker, Caribbean Stud Poker, a variety of Slots, Roulette and Craps. In "Fun" mode I did okay at VP and Craps with it's slim 1x Odds but won handsomely at Roulette. All the games are quite respectable and that "Vegas" feeling kind of stayed with me throughout. It's a difficult thing to put one's finger on, but I guess I'd have to say that the games are big and glitzy and even a little cheesy, y'know, in that "larger than life" way that Vegas is. I'm sure it comes down to personal taste and my tastes said "Money!" so I broke out the company credit card and hit the "Cashier" button.

Electronic cash at Orion is handled by EC-Exchange. As a bonus Orion is offering $20 for a $30 deposit, each month!. I like that! So cha-ching, in goes thirty bucks and sho' 'nuf I get the deposit bonus right away. Now where was I at that Roulette table?

Orion's Roulette is a Single-0 version which is a good thing, but after 5 disastrous spins I've had just about enough of the Roulette. Back to BJ. You can Split any doubles, only Double on 9,10, or 11 and the dealer stands on soft-17. I worked back up to a reasonable stake after grinding away at basic strategy. Nice game, that BJ.

There are several versions of VideoPoker and they all seem to have the standard pay-tables, but I found the Royal Flush Bonus payouts lower than expected. Slots comes in about a dozen varieties and the few I tried seemed fine.

Well I'm running a bit long here, so time to wrap it up. To make a long story short, I took my BJ winnings back to the Roulette table and, to put it gently, ended my gaming day rather sooner than expected, without profit. That ain't the game's fault though 'cause I was playing shotgun Roulette by scattering a bunch of chips across the table and taking my chances. Sometimes you walk away loaded and sometimes you just load up the table's chip box. Guess it wasn't my day.

In conclusion, I'd recommend Orion to those of you looking for something a little different from your everyday gaming experience. There's a good selection of games, they definitely have their own look and feel, and that $20 a month bonus is quite respectable. Watch yourself at the Roulette table though, if for no other reason than to avoid the embarrassment I "enjoyed".