Color Monte. Come on, admit it. You used to own a set of those cards with the rub-away painted on blue diamond, red diamond and green pile of $14.00. No really . . . admit it. I'm not moving on until you admit it. I'll wait.

See? That wasn't so bad now was it? Of course most of us have also tried our hand at a non-goofy card version, say an Ace of Spades, Queen of Hearts and a (apparently two) Joker. Well R. Paul Wilson has come up with what is, in my opinion, hands down the best version of this effect. Using Tarot cards, he tells the story of the person who "invented the game."

The story is compelling, fascinating, and even a wee bit creepy (see what I did there . . . wee bit . . . it's a Scottish Thing). I first saw Mr. Wilson perform this on his Knock 'em Dead video.

Not only is the presentation and the final kicker incredible, but the handling of the cards has been streamlined by Mr. Wilson as well. It's just all around a smooth concept and presentation and handling. I bought a Tarot deck just for the purpose of performing this effect. The cards used in the presentation are "Ace of Coins", "The Fool", and the "Death" card.

The problem I had with my Tarot deck is that the cards were so similar looking that when "Death" made its appearance, it was hardly noticeable. So much for a stunning kicker. The Cards Wilson used had a stark contrast which added further to the effect. Well when I found out that he sold this effect as a separate marketed item that came with the cards, I jumped at the chance to purchase one.

I bought it, and darn it. I was totally bummed. The cards are no where near as stark in their contrast as the ones used on the Knock 'em Dead video.

In addition, the cards are laminated or something so they stick together making it very hard to perform the required moves. Included in the package for $14.95, you get 3 "Death" cards, 1 "Fool" and 1 "Wheel of Fortune" rather than "Ace of Coins." You also get a nicely printed 1 page (only one side) of instructions with no photos. Finally, you get some extra ideas on how to switch out the cards and end with 3 "Death" cards.

I was really hoping for the same cards Wilson used in the Knock 'em Dead video. Obviously I set myself up for disappointment based on my own expectations. However, even if the cards were perfectly identical to the ones on the video, they are still too sticky.

As great as this routine is, I would recommend that you not buy it, but rather purchase the Knock 'em Dead video for only $20 bucks more. You get the handling and presentation live (rather than just written). Plus you get a bunch of other really great effects.

Although the effect is one of the best out there, the quality of the props is too poor for me to recommend purchasing this effect. We get a 1 star rating. If the effect weren't available elsewhere I'd give it a 3 star rating because it would be worth purchasing just to get the routine, but since it's available on the Knock 'em Dead video, there is absolutely no reason to purchase this product. Rubble