By Frank Legato

Creepy and Kooky IGT's "The Addams Family" mines '60s-sitcom culture to create a wildly entertaining slot

The slot manufacturers know that they are playing to an audience of Baby Boomers.

If you need evidence of this, just look at the newest slot games on the market. They all reflect the preferred entertainment of the generation that came of age in the '50s and '60s-namely, rock music and television.

Television has proven to be a rich. Boomers know The Three Stooges from TV. It's a slot game. They know Let's Make A Deal, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune from TV. All slot games.

Leading slot manufacturer International Game Technology has just released what is arguably the best TV-themed slot yet: "The Addams Family."

The Addams Family television show was based on the legendary Charles Addams' comic that appeared for decades in The New Yorker magazine. But it was the TV show, depicting the daily life of Addams' ghouls, witches and monsters, that left a lasting impression on the generation of today's gamblers.

Even though the show's entire run was just three seasons-64 episodes from 1964 through 1966-the comical cast of morbid is stamped on our collective consciousness, along with the actors who played them, the set they used, and of course, the theme song (all together now: "They're creepy and they're cooky, mysterious and spooky, they're altogether ooky, the Addams Family...").

IGT took all of this into account when they transformed The Addams Family into a series of slot games. These could collectively become known as the manufacturer's masterpiece in the multiline video genre.

The artwork and bonus screens depict the TV family: John Astin as the debonair but slightly insane patriarch, Gomez. Jackie Coogan as mad-scientist Uncle Fester. Ted Cassidy as the Frankenstein-esque butler Lurch.

They didn't forget the song, either. IGT licensed the theme song from The Addams Family, with Vic Mizzy's original music. You hear it at various points throughout your play session.

During the video reel-spinning and in each bonus event, you hear Gomez delivering ghoulish wisecracks from the show. IGT enlisted John Astin himself, the TV Gomez, to do all the voice-overs. At random intervals in the primary game, Gomez pipes up with things like, "Ahh! You make my blood boil!" or "I had the funniest nightmare!" or "Ha ha! That's the spirit! Push on!"

Additionally, there are various Gomez lines for each physical game event. For instance, when you insert a bill in the acceptor, you are greeted with "Welcome, honored guest. Look, everyone, we have guests!" After winning combinations: "Good show!" or "You're killing me! Keep it up, I like it!" When you cash out: "I was hoping you could stay for dinner. In fact, I was hoping you would be dinner!"

There are lots of opportunities within the video reel-spinning for you to hear the quips; the hit frequency is around 50 percent with all the paylines lit, which means there is a winning combination every other spin, on average.

There are three initial versions of The Addams Family slot machine. All are five-reel, nine-line nickel video slots with maximum bets of 45 coins (five coins per line). There will soon be 90-coin versions as well. All are linked to IGT's "MegaJackpots" multi-site progressive, which resets at $100,000 and is paid in a lump sum-no annuities. The big prize is hit by lining up five Addams Family logos on a lit payline.

You will be drawn to these games initially by their physical appearance-particularly the two upright-cabinet versions of the game. (There is also a slant-top with the logo suspended over the top box.) Each is topped by an intricately carved and painted sculpture. One has Lurch leaning over the top-a beautiful likeness of Ted Cassidy's character scowling menacingly at the player. (You almost expect to hear Cassidy's baritone signature line, "You rang?") The other cabinet is topped by Jackie Coogan's Uncle Fester, leaning over with a lit light bulb in his mouth-a popular gag from the show.

The top box in each of the upright versions is a replica of the Addams Family mansion, complete with porch and windows. On the porch and inside each window are shadowy figures-molded plastic figurines, giving the appearance of three dimensions. It is quite possibly the most elaborate artwork ever employed in creating a top box for a slot machine. IGT really pulled out the stops on these cabinets.

But it is the three versions of the game itself that really make this series of slots stand out. While the primary game symbols and payline configurations are constant, each of the three versions of The Addams Family has two unique bonus events, designed around a theme or bit from the show. The three games are called "Fry Fester," "Pick To Win" and "Market Madness."

Fry Fester

In this version of The Addams Family, three "Fry Fester" symbols in any position on the reels trigger a second screen-a torture chamber, with Uncle Fester hooked to electrodes in what looks like an electric chair. Gomez is working the controls and says, "Fester, you're looking a little run-down." Then, he throws the switch.

At the right of the screen are multiplier amounts, rising from 5X to a top 250X. While Fester is "frying," a light toggles between 5X and 8X, the two lowest amounts on the screen. The player tries to hit the button when 8X is lit. If successful, the lights then toggle between 8X and 10X, and the player tries to freeze 10X. This continues until the player either freezes the lower multiplier amount or reaches the top 250X.

As the multiplier amount increases, Fester's level of "doneness" changes: You see "rare," "crispy," "well-done," etc. in the right-hand corner. It's a hoot.

The number is multiplied by the player's total bet for the bonus award. (At max-coin on the 90-coin version, that's a top bonus of 22,500 coins.) Uncle Fester steps off the electrocution machine and announces that he's "feeling better."

According to Jean Brossard, IGT's director of product development, the random number generator has already picked the final bonus multiplier amount at the start of the "Fry Fester" bonus round. However, the "perceived skill" built into the game will make you swear you are causing the multiplier flashing to stop. Brossard says this feature happens once every 100 spins.

The secondary bonus feature on "Fry Fester" is called "Thing's Rock-Paper-Scissors" bonus. "Thing," of course, was the disembodied hand that always delivered the mail and picked up the phone for the characters on the TV show. (Interestingly, it was the hand of Cassidy, who played Lurch.) The primary game has both "Thing" and "Wild Thing" symbols, the latter substituting for other jackpot symbols. When the Thing and Wild Thing symbols land to form a winning combination, the jackpot becomes the base value for the bonus round.

The bonus screen shows Thing's hand in a fist, ready to play the old "Rock, Paper, Scissors" game with the player. The player chooses one of the three by touching icons at the left of the screen. Thing then takes his turn. Rock smashes scissors, paper covers rock, scissors cut paper. If you win, Thing signals the "OK" sign. One win multiplies the line jackpot by two. Two wins raises the jackpot to 4X; three wins, 5X; and four wins, the maximum 10X.

This bonus feature occurs every 200 spins, on average, according to Brossard.

Pick To Win

In this version of The Addams Family, three or more "Pick To Win" symbols in any position on the screen awards a scatter-pay based on the number of symbols, and triggers a second screen. The scene is a graveyard at night, with the Addams Family mansion in the background.

Each gravesite has a dollar sign on top. Lurch invites the player to choose one. The player touches the screen, and a zombie breaks through the dirt to reveal the player's bonus. The player picks up to four times, accumulating bonus amounts with each pick, until picking a spot reading either "Collect" or "Next." "Collect" ends the bonus round. "Next" triggers a brand new round of picks; the graves are re-buried with bonus amounts and one "Collect." When "Collect" is finally chosen, the sun comes up over the graveyard and Lurch tells you how many credits you won.

This feature occurs every 100 spins, on average.

The secondary bonus event is the "Train Bonus," which plays on the television show's frequent gag showing Gomez operating his electric trains (he always caused them to crash head-on). When the "Train" symbol lands on the first and fifth reels on one of the horizontal paylines, that line transforms into a train track, with a steam engine at each end. Thing is in the middle with a stop sign. The engines steam toward each other, stopping just short of crashing. Thing turns his stop sign around to reveal a random bonus amount, which averages four-and-a-half times the player's total bet. (This feature comes up every 150 spins.

Market Madness

This game plays on Gomez' penchant for playing the stock market. (On the TV show, Gomez had an old-fashioned ticker machine in his den-and bundles of cash in his desk drawers.)

When three "Market Madness" symbols land on a lit payline (every 100 spins on average), the screen switches to a scene of Gomez sitting at his desk, reading the ticker tape as it comes from the machine. (He quips, "Thing, the market indicates that someone is in for a big gain today!"

Gomez deals several bills out of his bankroll, each with a bonus amount. The added total is the player's "first offer." The player is given the option to "accept" or "reject" the offer for another that may be smaller or larger. If he rejects it, Gomez says something like, "A-ha! Greed! I like that!" or "Some days you just can't give it away!" and deals four new bills. There are four offers in all; the last one must be accepted.'

The secondary bonus in this game is the "Train Bonus," just as in "Pick To Win."

Instant Popularity

According to Brossard, the Addams Family slots are an unqualified hit in Louisiana, the first place they were installed. They were being installed in Nevada at press time, and the games are up for licensing in New Jersey, Mississippi and the Native American jurisdictions.

"We just had our development team and [VP of Engineering and Design] Joe Kaminkow down in Louisiana," she says, "and everyone is very excited about how the games are being received. They are very busy, there is a lot of play. And players are excited because of all the variety; you just won't get bored. You can move to the next game and get a whole new experience."

The Addams Family definitely raises the on quality, intensity and feature-richness of bonus video slot games. "This game has been our most aggressive undertaking to date," says Brossard. "We have added new elements such as molded plastic pieces. Three-dimensional graphics were used much more heavily than in the past."

Bottom line on this series of games: When the world's leading slot manufacturer puts forth the most aggressive slot development effort in its history, the result is certainly hard to beat

In fact, there is nothing left to say but:

So get a witch's shawl on,
A broomstick you can crawl on,
We're gonna pay a call on ...
The Addams Family.

(Sorry. I couldn't resist.)

The Addams Family Slot Type: Nine-line, multicoin video slot; three uniquely themed versions; two second-screen bonus events in each version; "MegaJackpots" multi-site progressive jackpot; nickel denomination Payback % range: 92.5%-93.5% (Base game 89%) Average Hit Frequency: Every 2 spins (50%) Top Jackpot: Progressive; resets at $100,000 Availability: NV, LA (other jurisdictions pending)