A Different Perspective
Once you have got past the jarring shock of a reference to Africa that doesn’t involve Bono banging on about some new cause he’ll probably realise was actually pretty condescending in another five years, it’s safe to say that from a technical perspective the first impressions of African Palace are also very positive.
For starters, the central image changes intermittently to show off the various deals and offers. OK, so this isn’t that mind blowing- we see this ALL THE TIME. Nevertheless, the way in which this is seamlessly embedded into the background image – so the transitions are smooth rather than feeling forced- is an impressive piece of design that, whilst subtle and unnoticeable to those inexperienced in judging online casinos, is commendable because it is subtle and unnoticeable to those inexperienced in judging online casinos. Fine work then.
Above this central image you’ll see an easy to figure out row of menus offering click-throughs to various parts of the casino. ‘Getting Started’ tells you everything you need to know about, err, getting started with African Palace. ‘Promotions’ is where you can learn the details of the various offers on the table for new and existing members; some of these are the same as those that are ticking by in the central image. Some are not.
Next we have ‘Games’, where you get a flavour for the games you will be able to play when you’re up and running. Finally we have the self-explanatory ‘Banking’, ‘Winners’, ‘Loyalty Program’, ‘Support’, and ‘Privacy’. Just in case there were any doubts, that’s information on the banking facilities for withdrawals and deposits, the latest winners and how much they have won, facts and stats about the loyalty scheme on offer, where to get assistance, and details of the privacy policy. First, though, the ‘Games’.
Temptation, Everywhere
If there’s one thing that African Palace isn’t short of, it’s ways for you to spend- or rather gamble- money. Depending on how good you are at gambling will probably mean the difference between the two.
Progressive Jackpots are basically the same as classic slots, only with a bonus game as standard and a progressive- i.e. accumulating- jackpot. This means as you play the pot gets bigger and bigger, rather than canceling itself out when no bet has been successful, reseting for another shot at the titles.
Classic Slots and Video Slots are the next game type, and again it should be pretty obvious what these refer to. Classic Slots are like one-armed bandits in pubs and bars – money in, hit spin, hope for some matching rows in order to get the payout. The video versions are a little more high tech, but overall nothing mind-blowing. It’s worth noting there are much better places to get your slot-related kicks that African Palace, but then this is a real online casino, and so the slots, whilst popular, should be an after thought.
Card and Table Games, on the other hand, are the backbone of what’s on offer and African Palace has some really good versions ready to play. Blackjack, Baccarat, Hold ‘em poker, Progressive Blackjack are all on offer, and although the actual equipment itself is quite basic- these aren’t the most up to date editions- they are incredibly playable and in some ways actually better than more complicated, high tech, bells and whistles efforts you’ll find elsewhere. Sometimes less is definitely more.
Other than this, you also have Video Poker – which is as it sounds – and Scratch Cards, which are also pretty commonplace. However, less regular are the Arcade Games- which take the simulation part out of things to increase the intensity and re-play value- and Asian Games. These last ones are pretty unique even in the more specialist end of the online casino market. Japanese Solo, which sounds like something from a NSFW website, is actually Japanese Solo Mahjong, you just can’t see the full title due to a text bleed into the black background. On top of that you also get classic Chinese WMF Mahjong and WMF Mahjong Pro, along with Pachinko. The design of this area is clunky, and there aren’t many options, but the fact it’s here at all is a definite bonus in our eyes.
Anything Else?
Yes. It’s worth noting that both the loyalty scheme and the promotional deals on offer at African Palace are impressive. Simply by signing up, you are automatically a VIP Club Member at the Cub level (it goes right up to Lion), which is better than most- you usually have to earn the first stripe. Rewards for VIPs are dished out incrementally, depending on experience.
Promotion wise, there are sign up, first, second, third and fourth deposit bonuses which are relatively competitive in terms of the generosity. Not bad at all then, especially as more regular plays also get ongoing promotions that change each week, or thereabouts, keeping things pretty interesting. Oh, and as a complete aside, but reassuringly, the online support comes in the form of both telephone and email, with individual email addresses given out for specific departments. Meanwhile, the while site is built on industry standard security, so you don’t have to worry about bank and personal details.
