Sparta Slot
We all remember Gerard Butler’s epic battle cry from the much-loved movie 300: ‘This…is…Sparta!’ Well, this actually is Sparta – the historic Novomatic slot game, anyway. Plug your coins into the machine and travel back in time, taking your place in the ranks of a brave but ultimately outnumbered army. To win big you’ll need all the courage you can muster; steal a furtive glance at the muscle-bound warriors either side of you then lead a spirited charge towards the jackpot.
With just 9 paylines available on the five reels and three rows, the Sparta video slot is nice and simple. Even those new to online gaming will get to grips with the controls in next to no time.
Once More Into The Breach
The game’s accessibility is to its credit. You’ll find the control panel handily located underneath the reels, and this is where you can select how many paylines you want to put in play. While 9 yields the largest jackpot, you can opt to play on just 1 payline. Alternatively, you can select 3, 5 or 7. The control panel is also where you’ll find the Gamble button, which allows you to double your winnings by guessing the colour of a randomly-drawn card. Make sure you can afford to lose, though: an incorrect guess and your wodge of winnings will vanish in the blink of an eye.
Spartan Symbols
Sadly, there’s no symbol of Gerard Butler’s Leonidas. On the plus side, there is a symbol of a generic Spartan fighter, clad in a helmet and armed with a shield and sword. He looks ready for battle and so should you be; you’re unlikely to hit pay dirt on the first spin of the reels, so some tenacity is certainly required.
Other symbols in the game include a Spartan warship, a slingshot, a sword, a water jug, a shield, a trio of Spartan fighters and the usual playing card symbols, albeit simply rendered in gold lettering.
Novomatic graphics are rarely anything to shout about, and Sparta – despite the epic ancient Greek theme – is no exception. If you’re expecting whizz-bang special effects, you should probably look elsewhere. The playing card symbols (9, 10, J, Q, K) appear against a plain black background. The other symbols are similarly basic, while the sound effects are no different from your generic pub fruit machine. Above the reels is a panorama of – well, Sparta presumably, although there’s nothing but a few sand-blown hills beneath a muggy sky.
The aim, as with any slot, is to land matching combinations from left-to-right on the reels. As ever, though, there’s a bonus features giving you the chance to multiply your winnings.
In the basic pay-table, the sword-brandishing Spartan warrior is the highest paying symbol. Pay-outs are 250, 2,500 and 9,000 for three, four and five matching symbols. The warrior also happens to be the game’s wild, and can substitute for all symbols except the scatter to configure pay-line wins. Utilise the wild to form a winning combination and your pay-out is also doubled. That’s worth a battle cry in itself!
Scatters And Multipliers
A cursory glance at Sparta’s pay-table reveals the pay-outs to be, well, fairly standard for this type of game. Five swords grants 400 coins, while five Spartan ships or slingshots pays 750. To really make some solid winnings, you’ll be hoping to unlock free spins. This occurs when you land three scatter symbols anywhere on the reels.
The scatters are represented by a trio of warriors, and if you hit three of these symbols you’ll be granted 15 free spins and a x3 multiplier. Thus, even if you only make low-paying combinations, your winnings will be tripled. If you’re lucky enough to hit four Spartan ships, for example, you can expect a pay-out of 375 rather than the standard 125.
Circle The Wagons
The Spartan theme is a rather ubiquitous one in the world of online slots. Novomatic’s Sparta, though, is a good place to start if you’re new to the industry. While there aren’t a ton of pay-lines, you can hardly inveigh against the free games and generous multipliers. What’s more, the inclusion of a Gamble function allows you to double your winnings in double-time quick time. Simply guess the colour of a card – red or black – then close your eyes and cross your fingers. Give this one a spin at a Novomatic online casino today.
