While the title everyone is clamoring for (Worms, anyone?) is still going through Microsoft certification, Midway jumped in to save the day with two consecutive arcade classics in its stead. Midway's 1984 politically correct (who knew that political correctness was this old?) clone of the original Budweiser sponsored Tapper, called Root Beer Tapper, is the latest in an unfortunately growing list of retro titles available on Xbox Live Arcade.
Gamers take control of a bartender, charged with serving four bars at once. The game's simple controls, consisting of the left stick or directional pad and 'A' button, match the straightforward gameplay. The game starts with one patron at each bar, making their way (slowly at first) toward the end of the bar where your character waits at the tap. Hold 'A' to pull the tap, release when the glass is full and your patron is slid an ice-cold root beer. The game's controls remain as sticky as they were in versions of yesteryear, as holding 'A' will occasionally result in a half-poured beer and stuck bartender. As it was in the old version, you can also quickly hit 'A' twice to serve up a drink; a dangerous practice in the higher rounds where you have to think about the number of drinks to serve at once.
Throwing a root beer to a patron close to the door will most likely result in clearing them out of the bar with a drink, happy. If not close enough to send them on their way, patrons will stop, drink, and send back the empty glass for a refill. Eventually, patrons that left the bar will return for another drink, making it tricky to clear the bar of all your patrons on the higher levels. The round ends when all four bars are empty, which is increasingly difficult the longer you leave patrons roaming around the bar, as their speed toward the tap increases with time. Throw a drink to an already drinking patron, or down a bar with no patrons, or just forget to catch an empty glass, and you lose a life.
The game does allow players to employ a bit of strategy, as within levels patrons will occasionally leave a tip on the bar. If the gamer can get to the tip in time, dancers appear at the top of the screen for a short musical interlude that will stall at least a few of your waiting patrons. Money-grubbing gamers beware, as patrons watching the dancers will not see any oncoming root beer, resulting in a broken glass and lost life. Between the different bars, gamers have an entertaining mini-game to play, being forced to follow an unshaken can of root beer for bonus points. Open the unshaken can and get 3,000 points, but open the wrong can and get a face full of suds. As with most other recent retro releases, the game's graphics and sound receive nothing in terms of an upgrade; which will give '80s gamers that warm and fuzzy nostalgic feeling, and others nausea.
