Scarab Kingdom

One glance at the title will come as no surprise to discover that Just for the Win are taking players back to Ancient Egypt with their online slot, Scarab Kingdom. A symbol that was highly revered centuries ago has become one of the most recognisable of all, featuring amulets and all types of valuable treasure. But there's just one prize you'll have your eyes on, and that's the top payout of x5000 - but will you be cursed or blessed in this ancient location?

There are a lot of Egyptian themed slots from many different studios, and the scarab beetle features in the majority, such as Scarab from IGT. The name may sound beautifully exotic, but did you know that the scarab beetle is just another name for the dung beetle? In fact, that might be why ancient Egyptians chose this humble insect to represent rebirth and immortality. The creature's habit of scoffing other herbivores' dung and laying their eggs in it was enough to convince ancient Egyptians that the scarab beetle was the incarnation of the sun-god Khepri. So now you know! 

Back to the slot, and you'll be playing on five reels, laid out in a 5x4 configuration. This includes 30 fixed paylines and a betting range of 0.20 to 25.00. This is relatively modest, but a high volatility could tempt the treasure-hunters to come and play.

If you've played Egyptian themed slots before, you're probably familiar with the dimly lit chambers buried deep in the heart of the Pyramids. Scarab Kingdom provides a refreshing change as this time, you'll be playing against a stunning backdrop in a tranquil location. A water feature, lush green vegetation and a Sphinx statue all create a special ambience that seems almost too peaceful to play! 

On the reels, the playing card royals start you off with the low pays, with the lotus flower, the eye of Ra, Ankh cross, a pharaoh and Cleopatra. The latter are the most valuable of them all, paying up to x10 for a full line of five.  

Wilds are also present in this game, helping to make matches and equalling the top value premium symbols. 

Look carefully around the base game, and you'll notice every reel has a scarab holder above it, split into three. There's also a bonus bar above the game board. Every time you land a scarab symbol it adds to both the corresponding scarab holder and the bonus bar.  

When any scarab holders get filled up, the reel receives the Wild Scrolls feature, which turns it totally wild. The stacked wilds remain on the reel, moving down a position with each spin until they completely fall off.  

The bonus bar is a little harder to fill as you'll need a whopping 100 scarabs. When you do, you'll unlock Cleo's Bonus. This is played on the regular reels, but all of the standard symbols are wiped away and replaced with coins that are lying face down. You'll be able to pick one at a time until you match three symbols to win a prize. There are four possible payouts, so keep your fingers crossed for the big one: x15, x40, x200 and x5000. 

Back in the main game, the centre three reels may contain scatters; if you land three on a single spin, you'll trigger the Pharaoh's Free Spins feature. A random number of free spins are awarded; every bonus round begins with a x1 multiplier and the centre reel stacked with wilds in the same way as the Wild Scrolls feature. With every spin, the multiplier increases by +1, and every new wild turns into a stacked wild too. The bonus round ends when all the wilds have dropped off the reels. 

If you enjoy Egyptian themed slots, you can play Scarab Kingdom online at Bwin. There are a lot of good features included in this game, so it will keep even experienced players entertained. The top jackpot isn't exceptionally high, and the betting range lower than elsewhere, so it's not a slot that will be sought after by the big-money players. But if you're looking for beautiful visuals, variety and solid gameplay, you won't go far wrong here.