Gladiator Slot by Betsoft
Gladiator is a 5-reel, 20-pay line video slot from Betsoft. This is not to be confused with the slot from Playtech which is also called ‘Gladiator’. Playtech’s slot was based on the epic movie of the same name, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe. Betsoft’s slot has a general Roman theme but is still centered around events in the Coliseum in which slaves would battle to the death. Or at least until one of the combatants was feeling a bit tired. This game is not from Betsoft’s ‘3D’ slots range, as it’s simply a ‘traditional’ 5-reel video slot. All the symbols in the game are Roman-themed of course, including a very cute looking tiger whose appearances in the arena were always a roaring success.
A series of columns under the slots display are used to select your wager, aside from the coin value itself which you just click on. You can choose your coin from 0.02 to 1.00, and your bet-per-line from one to five. There are a possible 30 pay lines in total, and you can select how many you want in play. To have the maximum chance of a return, you’re best to play with as many lines in play as possible. To win, you need to land at least three identical symbols in sequence on one of your active pay lines from – and including – the left hand reel. When you feel it’s time to take up arms and see if you get the thumbs up or thumbs down, hit the spin … er … column.
Payout & bonus rounds
The lowest winning payout possible is for three golden goblets, which wins you five times your bet-per-line. The jackpot in normal play is for five of the Coliseum, which wins you a princely 750x your wager.
The Coliseum also acts as the scatter symbol, and landing at least three anywhere on the reels wins you a prize.
If you land the ‘Princess’ symbol in the first position on any reel, it triggers the ‘Wild x2’ feature. The lovely maiden will throw a handful of rose petals across the reels, turning some symbols into ‘2x Wilds’. Any wins that contain a wild symbol are doubled.
Landing the ‘Hero Gladiator’ symbol in any position on the middle reel will trigger the ‘Gladiator Smash Wild Reel’ feature. A marble slab covers the middle reel, which the gladiator will smash to turn the whole reel wild.
If you land three or more ‘door’ symbols on an active pay line you trigger the ‘click me’ bonus. Select one of the doors to reveal a mystery cash prize. Sometimes you may be prompted to open more than one door, and all the prizes you reveal are yours to keep.
If you land the ‘Hero Gladiator’, Coliseum and ‘Villain Gladiator’ symbol in a straight row on the central three reels it’s time to ‘Prepare for Battle’. Choose your champion and let the fighting commence. Choose well, and extra bonus credits will be yours!
Despite the lack of a Russell Crowe or a Joaquim Phoenix, Betsoft’s Gladiator is still a lot of fun, especially when the fighters start bashing each other with weapons in the arena. There more than enough entertainment here, so when it comes to rating this slots game, it’s a thumbs up from us!