Here we go then John, probably not worth the wait, but still...
Most people’s favourites are naturally going to be the ones they’ve had the best wins on!
I’m no different, but I’ve tried to include ‘entertainment value’ in my assessment.
Best Five (not necessarily in order):-
WHAT ON EARTH: You get lots and lots of little ‘fruit’ wins to keep your bankroll rolling while you’re praying for a good bonus round. Three of all symbols (except cherries) gives you at least the cost of your spin back, as does just one of the three top symbols if it lands on reel one! The bonus can hit very frequently and has the potential to pay out a very big win for a small spin cost! My favourite is the ‘Contest’ bonus.
Downside: I HATE the ‘chimes’ you get for the red spaceships when they are not adjacent – makes you think you’ve won a bonus round when you haven’t.
TOMB RAIDER: Great graphics, great sounds, 2 types of bonus feature which means they hit far more frequently than those slots with just one. Also has more than 1 wild symbol per reel, and with 15 lines, this means you seem to get some sort of win in 6-7 spins of every 10.
Downside: Most places have it at 5c min per line = a bit steep for us low-rollers!
DAILY HOROSCOPE (and
Round the World &
Reel Renovations): These are the only slots I’ve ever seen anywhere where the amount you win on the bonus feature is entirely dependent on the true skill of the player!
A proper challenge at last! (Though not
terribly difficult...)
Downsides: 20 lines is too many for any slot – makes it a bit of a money-eater.
There is no coin size between 1c & 5c – 1 is too low & 5 is too high (for a low-roller!)
During autoplay you can wait AGES while it shows you all the pathetic little wins you just got.
CLUEDO (Wagerworks): I only played this for the first time this week – but already love it! The sounds & graphics are totally excellent for a ‘flash’ casino game. The bonus round gives you 3-picks, which makes a pathetic win more unlikely. It also has the unusual feature of letting you bet different numbers of coins on each of the 15 lines!
Downside: Once again, the minimum bet is too high at 5p/line. It’s 15 lines, so if you play all of them its minimum is 75p ($1.30) per spin.
WITCHES WEALTH: Great sound & graphics (apart from the jar of eyeballs & the purple head thing, which are kinda creepy!). Only 9-lines - makes your cash last longer. Bonus rounds can hit VERY frequently (averages something like 20-30 spins), and the ‘flying bonus’ usually has a pretty good payout! Another great point is the Wild Witch also subsitutes for the Scatter symbol.
Downside: The pathetic wins (just over x1 & x2) either side of the bonus segment on the spinning wand thingy hit FAR too frequently.
And now the ‘duffers’ – the world would be a better place without these:-
Crypto’s
FRUIT MACHINES: These have to be some sort of joke on the part of the software writers. You get loads of feature rounds – but your chances of actually winning anything from them seems to be < 0.01%. These really are the most un-random pieces of crap I have ever seen.
All
20 & 25-LINE slots: Sorry, but that’s just too many lines! The 3 and often even 4 symbol ‘wins’ are usually so pathetic that they don’t even return the cost of your spin. The bonus features can pay very well – but you’ve got to be hitting them frequently because between features these slots will eat big holes in your wallet!
THUNDERSTRUCK: A controversial choice I know, as this is many players favourite. I really like the sound & graphics, but this slot just does not like me. I’ve been back to it time & time again to try to find out why so many rave about it, but it’s always an expensive investigation.
I would be much better of financially if this slot never existed.
REEL STRIKE: You need FIVE symbols to get the feature?
Feature often 2 spins at x1?
Never seems to produce any big hits? Two scatters = zip, three = x2?
Need I say more… Reel Crap!