The Protea Piggs Peak Hotel and Casino is located 4 hours north of Johannesburg in mountains near the Swaziland border, looking down over lush valleys and mountain reserves. Piggs Peak Casino, founded in 1998, is owned by the hotel/casino, and offers the level of professionalism you'd expect from a brick-and-mortar casino owner. In fact, Piggs Peak was the first land-based casino to accept real-money bets online.

Using MicroGaming's latest games package, Piggs Peak offers two download options. There's a basic package that comes in at about 4 megabytes, includes 6 of the basic games and is a good way to get started if you're worried about long download times. The full package, around 8 Meg, includes all the games in the MicroGaming suite: American Roulette, Blackjack, Baccarat, Caribbean Poker, Craps, Video Poker, Slots, Keno and Scratch Cards. Either package can be played for fun or real money.

While I'm not a wild fan of the MicroGaming package I won't complain about it either. What it lacks in glitz or multimedia goodies it makes up for in ease of installation and stability. Other systems may look and sound better, but the MicroGaming system will run on almost anything that can successfully download the package. And since they offer CashSplash jackpots of $100,000 or more it might be pretty easy to skip the sizzle and go for the steak.

Support is definitely the strong point at Piggs Peak and is available toll-free most of the world over. They also have local and international fax numbers and, of course, email. I sent them a detailed money question and had my answer within 24 hours. Finally with Playcheck, offered via MicroGaming, users can check their gaming history and "see exactly what cards were dealt in Blackjack, where the ball landed in Roulette and how the reels lined up on their favorite slot machine."

Complementing the Service department is a full-featured list of payout options including all the usuals: credit card, money order, check. If you are signatory to a US account, provide the casino with the details and they'll transfer the funds directly, free of charge, via their Direct Bank Transfer service. While this can take 3-4 business days, it's a reliable, cost-effective way to move your winnings.

All-in-all Piggs Peak is a full-service and professionally laid out operation. If you enjoy their games package, it adds up to a winning combination.