Host Your Own Race Night: 4th Edition

Host Your Own Race Night (4th Edition) is the fourth in a series of DVD games featuring live video from UK race courses. Game packs such as this can be used for a family get together or for a charity fundraising event.

The game comes in a box measuring 27.5cm x 27.5cm x 7cm and weighing around 730g. Inside is a DVD case containing a detailed manual / race guide and the DVD itself which holds sixteen races, some over hurdles but mainly on the flat. Also in the box is * a Bookies Ledger. This is a double sided record of the bets placed in each race, when the winnings have been paid the ledger is wiped clean and re-used. No cloth is provided for this.

• a marker pen - non permanent

• Betting cards. Needed so the players also have a record of the bets they made, these are also double sided and are wiped clean before the next race

• Game money. Lots of it

There's not a great deal of interactivity in this game. The players view the race details and, optionally, the detailed form guide for each horse before placing their bets. Bets are made on betting cards which the nominated, trustworthy, fiscally responsible, bookmaker records on their ledger as they take the player's cash. Players can bet on a horse to win, place 1st or 2nd, or place in the first three.

At the end of the race the game shows the first three horses and the payouts for a player who placed a £100 on each of the three possible bets. As players can bet as much, or as little, as they want the bookmaker then has to scale the amount shown on screen up, or down, as appropriate and pay the players.

There are sixteen races on the DVD, each race is between two and four minutes long but the manual advises allowing thirty minutes per race so that players can study the form guide and place their bets. A 'game' would typically be eight races meaning this could be played on two occasions but in practice players could decide to play one, any or all the races in a session.
The player holding the most money when the game ends is the winner.