The Dart Master III Electronic Scorekeeper

DartMaster III Operating Instructions

Rating    out of  

Tired of not having anyone to play against? Can't get motivated to practice when you're home alone? Hate finding out that you're out of chalk/dry erase markers at the beginning of a match? Tired of chalk dust getting all over the place? If you answered yes to any of these questions then this scorekeeper is for you.

You can play head-to-head against other throwers or against the scorekeeper itself. You can program it to play one of seven different skill levels in 301 DI/DO, 501 SI/DO and cricket (level 1 being the toughest). You'll want to leave your ego at the door, level 1 is truly a "Professional" level. Ton eighties are very common at this level in '01.

Pros:

1. You always have somebody to throw against even when you're home alone.
2. The computer opponent is not 'predictable'. Even at the lower levels it will occasionally hit a good score just like a new dart thrower will occasionally hit a ton.
3. I was very pleased with how it played cricket. It handles what to shoot at and when to score just like a human opponent would. Great "Artificial Intelligence" if that's the right term for it. It's smarter than some of the people I throw against here. :-)
4. It displays your point-per-dart averages at the end of each game of '01.
5. Easy to use interface. In '01 you just punch in your score with the number pad. In cricket, you hit the button next to the number you hit how ever many times you hit that number.
6. Scores are easy to read while standing at the line, even in well lit areas.
7. It speeds games up. It takes less time to punch in your score than to write it on a scoreboard.
8. You can correct any errors you may make when punching in your score.
9. You have an opponent that doesn't drink all your beer.

Cons:

1. Cost. It is a bit expensive at $300+.
2. You are limited to '01 and Cricket. But those are the games that are played at tournaments and in most leagues.
3. Picture this, you just spent over $300 on your new DartMaster III. You finally get it home and open up the box to check it out. Now you're just dying to try it out and take it to your dart room to hang it on your wall. That's when you notice, much to your surprise, that there's nothing in the box to hang it with! It can't be set on a shelf because it's too thin and the adapter plugs into the bottom of it. You would think for that kind of money the manufacturer could at least throw in 4 screws. The holes for the screws are already pre-drilled. I asked Mike at Horizon Darts about this (they don't make the board, just sell it) and he told me that in the future he would include the screws with them. Who says my ranting and raving never accomplishes anything? :-)

Recommendation: Save some money and buy it! It's never been easy for me to practice by myself, now I have something if not somebody to throw against at all times. Words of warning though, don't let it speed up your throw. With human opponents, you have some time between throws while they throw, mark their score and walk back past the line. With the computer, you don't have that. By the time you get back to the line, the computer has calculated it's score and it's your turn again. I found myself rushing my throw at first and couldn't figure out why my accuracy was down. Spent five hours playing against it the first night I had it, my arm was actually sore the next morning. That hasn't happened in years.

Written by: Larry Maleszewski

WOW! This puppy rocks! If you've ever found yourself looking for an opponent of skill level 'x', this is it. The DM3 plays like a human opponent. It makes mistakes and can get lucky too. It adjusts its' strategy as it plays. The DM3 plays with little mercy, at the higher levels. Even at the 'average' level, you can be taken by surprise. For the serious league player, seeking to get a lot of practice, this is the ticket. When used for x01, it'll give figures for 'darts thrown' and 'points per dart' You can even choose who goes first, you or the DM3.

It works really great as a scoreboard too. The display is clear and easy to understand, even from the throwing line. Input is simple and can be corrected if an error is made. Those big numbers are no longer so intimidating. The DM3 does the math for you.

The price tag is not cheap. I figured that by practicing at home,with the DM3, instead of at the bar, my beer money savings can cover the price tag. You can't get serious practice like this anywhere else. Right at home, no spectators to potentially watch you get whipped. No hard feelings either. BUY IT!

DartMaster IV "Dream List"

Here's some things I'd like to see added in future models (I can dream can't I?).

• Data Retrieval. It would be nice if it could save every game/turn onto a 3.5" floppy so that you could view your stats in a spreadsheet on your PC. This way you could track your progress.
• When playing '01, display what round you are currently throwing. (ok, it's petty, but it would be nice)
• Have the machine turn itself off after a certain amount of inactivity (say 20 minutes). The soft-tip machine I have does so and even saves the game that was being played.
• Last and probably the most difficult to do, add more games. Wild Mouse is one of our favorites. Maybe one day you will be able to plug in game cartridges.

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