As I see it, there are three types of slots players:

• People who sit for hours on end at a single machine
• People who pull on a machine once, hoping for a lucky spin, as they stroll by
• People who refuse to touch a machine (they just don’t know they’re slot players yet)

Cleopatra is the perfect iPhone and iPod touch game for the first type of slots player. And possibly a fun diversion for the other two types of players.

IGT, International Game Technology - a slot machine manufacturer, recently released Cleopatra on the iPhone and iPod touch. The app is a portable version of the video slot game that’s in casinos all over the world. The iPhone and iPod touch version is a solid rendition and should be up your alley if you’re looking for a slots game.

Cleopatra is relatively simple to get into, has colorful graphics - albeit slightly rigid, and emits fun sound effects too. The game has two modes, Instant Win and Tournament. You have a fixed amount of credits in both modes, the only difference is that Tournament mode keeps track of your score along the way and also posts that score to both local and global leader-boards.

To be honest, I hadn’t played any version of Cleopatra before, and I’m not the biggest slots player, but this was easy enough to get into after taking a quick glimpse at the rules - also found in-game. You can actually play an online version right now, either for real money or for pretend credits, to get an idea of the game.

You play this version by either tapping the PLAY button or by shaking your iProduct. I prefer shaking my iPhone as it’s a lot more fun for some reason; perhaps because it closer replicates playing an actual slot machine.

As stated before, if you’re the kind of person who plays slots for an extended period of time, this game’s most likely for you.

If you’re not the biggest slots player but are interested in Cleopatra, read on.

It’s slightly difficult to compare this version to the full-fledged version of Cleopatra - or other slot machines - in casinos because you’re not playing for money here.

If you’re the kind of person who pulls on a slot machine while strolling through a casino, ultimately I imagine you’re doing that because you hope to WIN BIG. There’s not so much of a concept of WINNING BIG in this version of Cleopatra. You’re not playing for money. True, the game has an online leader-board but it’s just not the same experience.

The game does play quickly and shaking your iPhone or iPod touch can be addicting though.

The bottom line is that the game is only two dollars, which makes it a touch less expensive than a trip to Vegas. Sure, you can’t WIN BIG here - but then again you can’t LOSE BIG either. And that may be key in today’s economy.

You can pick up Cleopatra in the App Store for $1.99.