The Casino Lab Rat Blog

Lots of new Slots! Player Reviews of Microgaming’s May Releases

May 9th, 2008

On May 6th, Microgaming’s new Cashapillar, Sure Win, Alley Cats and Quest for Beer slot machines were released and we’ve been playing them ever since. HoldEm High, a cool new table poker game also has succeeded in taking up way more of our time (and money!) than we’d initially anticipated (and we’ll blog on this game separately soon, as it’s worth a detailed look).

So, what do we think of these new Microgaming slot releases? Well… overall, not as good as last month’s new slots – but still well worth a look, aand we’re damned fussy…and they are finally enticing enough to break the Tomb Raider II addiction I’d developed!

First up, Cashapillar – it’s gotta go first as it’s just so different!  With like, a quizillion paylines this slot game is a bit weird (100 paylines and a 5×5 reel game grid) – and max bet is 1000 coins a spin. So you can win big – but also lose big really quickly!  The max wins of up to 2 million coins when betting max and 6 million coins during free spins is amazing and in all our test play we always ended up with more money than when we started! Unusual.

Cashapillar’s game graphics depicting friendly insects all decked out for the catepillar’s 100th birthday party are a little odd. Sort of “Through the Looking Glass” stuff – rather trippy. I’m also not too sure about the New Orleans style birthday tune that plays on win lines. Annoying after a while. 3,4 or 5 bonus birthday cake symbols activates the free spins – and free spins can be retriggered during free spins! Yay!

So if you like snails, bees, butterflys horned beetles and catapillars…and the chance to win big – give Cashapillar slot game a whirl. If the very thought of bugs has you reaching for the bug spray – and a 100-payline line slot fills you with panic as you like to follow the payouts, then this one’s not for you!

The next new slot, Quest for Beer, features an axe throwing bonus game that is triggered by 3 or more scraggly but somehow comely blonde pigtailed girl (beer wench!). When a tankard of beer appears on reels 2,3 and 4 the free spins feature triggers. (10 free spins with winnings doubled – and in this game they can be retriggered within the free spins win! Yay! The bonus game can also be triggered within free spins – an even better yay!) Overall I dod not think much of the graphics and found this slot a bit boring after a couple of bonus games… yawn.

The Alley Cats Slot – you guessed it – features ten pin bowling cats! In the bonus round you do get to bowl over objects like a lava lamp, broken bottles and even a tied up little puppy. (I could not choose the dog, so don’t know if the folks at Microgaming reward or penalize you for being cruel to animals). You can also score 20 free spins (with winnings doubled). Unfortunately neither the bonus game or free spins can be be retriggered during free spins which I always think is a bit miserly!  This new slot has colourful graphics and is a bit of fun. Worth a look.

Sure Win Slot has a horse racing theme complete with Psssst! Tipster. It’s been available a few months exclusively at Ladbrokes Casino (with jockeys wearing special Ladbrokes livery!). Sure Win is a stylish slot that gives you a chance to win up to 560,000 coins. 3,4 or 5 scatter “tipsters” trigger the free spins feature for 12 free spins at x4 multiplier, (16 free spins at x3, or 24 free spins at x2).  Sure Win includes a Gamble feature so if you’re really lucky you can quadruple your winnings.

Check them all out in the “New Games” section at these two popular Microgaming casinos: (You can play these games as a guest for free or join up and play for real money)

Yukon Gold Casino (a wild west gold rush theme that welcomes players from around the world including those from 39 States of America)

Ruby Fortune Casino (a stylish UK owned casino offering you 750 real money chips without a deposit to try the games for free for an hour – you can keep your winnings. Sorry, Ruby Fortune cannot accept USA residents)

Entry Filed under: Free Casino Games,New Games,Slots