Microgaming Highlander Slot Review and Free Play

It’s spawned a quartet of sequels and a TV series and now the classic sword and sorcery movie Highlander has got the video slots treatment. Created by Microgaming, it’s a 5 reel, 243 ways to win offering that comes high spec design and a free spins round where lightning strikes add increasing numbers of wilds to the reels. Join the clan on your desktop, tablet or mobile from between 30p and £40 per spin.

A misty, rural background in the Scottish Highlands forms the backdrop to the reels here. Joining the lower value playing cards are movie poster style images of 5 of the film’s main characters (but sadly no Sean Connery). Best of all is Connor McLeod aka Christopher Lambert. Helping to create those winning combinations is the Highlander logo which is the wild – it can land on all 5 reels and replaces everything bar the scatter.

That scatter has some unusual properties, especially when you land 2 of them on the same spin – via the 2 Scatters feature. In that happy circumstance, they will transform from a scatter into a wild. A new payout is then made with the extra wilds in positions.

Highlander also comes with a more traditional bonus round, the Free Spins feature, which is triggered when you land 3 or more scatters. You’ll then be awarded 10 free spins. Look out here for the magical Quickening Wild lightning bolt strikes – these add extras wilds each time they hit. The number of wilds added with each strike increases too. Get on a good run here and you could see plenty of extra wilds boosting your winning chances on your later free spins.

This isn’t the most volatile video slot you’ll come across – it’s by no means placid either though. The variance sits in the medium range with 1,400 times your total bet to be won on each spin/free spin.

The design here is rather nicely done. The character symbols will be instantly recognisable to anyone who has seen the original (which is now over 30 years old. Yikes!). The soundtrack is packed with 1980s rock classics too which certainly get the toes tapping (well if you’re our age they will).

Highlander might not offer a huge amount on the features front. It looks and sounds good though and the extras wilds certainly help the base game tick over. The best winning opportunities come via the Free Spins feature where the crackle of thunder and crack of lightning can deliver some impressive rewards.

The limited range of extras might not appeal to some players. If you enjoyed the original film or like the sword or sorcery genre then Highlander should be right up your street. Other movie games I recommend include Playtech’s The Matrix and NetEnt’s Planet of the Apes.