A wise old wizard can conjure up some magical rewards in The Alchemist. This volatile 5 reel, 20 payline video slot from Novomatic comes with a bonus round that awards up to 30 free spins complete with a special expanding symbol. Play from between 40p and £60 per spin.
Novomatic games are rarely things of beauty and The Alchemist will do little to change that reputation as the design here is pretty basic. The purple reels include lower value A to 10 playing cards as well as bubbling flasks full of potion, books of spells guarded by a wise old owl, a cheeky looking dragon and the Alchemist. Land 5 of the bearded magician in a line and you’ll pocket a bumper reward of some 250 times your total stake.
The other symbol you’ll be hoping to see is the locked book of spells which is the game’s wild – it substitutes for all other symbols. It also acts as the scatter – land 3, 4 or 5 of them anywhere on the reels on the same spin and you’ll get a payout equal to 10, 50 or 200 times your total stake. More importantly, you’ll trigger the Bonus Games feature and with it, 10, 12 or 15 free spins.
Before the feature begins, 1 symbol is chosen at random. If this special golden magic symbol lands during the feature, it will expand to fill the whole of that reel. The book of spells substitutes for everything bar the specially chosen golden symbol. You can re-trigger another rounds of free spins by landing 3 or more books of spells during the feature.
The Alchemist is a typical Novomatic video slot. It’s not particularly easy on the eye and the soundtrack is the developer’s usual generic offering. The gameplay is simple too. The best action comes via the bonus round where the modifier extra, in this case the special expanding symbol, spices up the play. Like many Novomatic titles, the variance in The Alchemist is pretty high.
You usually know just what you’re going to get when you fire up a Novomatic slot – don’t expect high spec design and complex features. Instead, look for simple, fast-paced, volatile gameplay and a free spins round with a twist thrown in.
The Alchemist ticks all of those boxes. Get lucky with the special symbols and The Alchemist could turn base metal into gold. If you like the theme, Jade Magician by Play ‘N Go is recommended.
