Arcade Fever is a very nice book. It dealt with between 1 and 4 pages (normally are there 2 per game) 50 different slot machines in the period from 1971 (Computer Space) until 1985. There is for every game images, a small box with Facts and usually a few anecdotes ( So Berzerk was for example the first game, in which a man is really dead (by a heart attack)) or other gimmicks such as all records that had the voice of Gorf plan. The actual texts are interresant and witty writing, but, like the whole book, quite subjective. But that was otherwise intended, because the text has increased nostalgia factor. In addition to games, there are interviews with Nolan Bushnell (Atari founder), Eugene Jarvis (developed inter alia Defender and Robotron: 2084), Jerry Buckner and Gary Garcia (the duo behind the then hit-song Pac-Man Fever), Walter Day (founder of the legendary (well at least in the US) Twin Galaxies arcade) and Keith Feinstein (a collector of slot machines). Moreover beinhatltet the book some funny ideas, like most unusual games themes, games with strange names or yums and yucks the videogame fashion. Since I am born in 1983, of course, the nostalgia factor will stay with me a little bit on the track, but a point of criticism must be one way or another put up the book: Pictures! These are both the images of the machine housing, as well as the screenshots (which are almost always pixel accuracy) of very high quality, but unfortunately lack the images of machine-Gahäuse in some games, which I think is a great pity. However, if you look for a book on game machines this time is with Arcade Fever certainly still very well served.
