Play Cat Wilde and the Lost Chapter

Ancient Egypt gets another archaeological visit in Cat Wilde and the Lost Chapter, with Play'n GO sending Cat Wilde into the temples rather than leaving all the tomb raiding to her father. We get a familiar 5 reel setup, 10 selectable paylines, expanding symbols and a free spins round, but Pyramid Spins give the usual Book style formula another direction. Apparently, one excavation wasn't enough for the Wilde family. 

Our cat is sitting between the usual Egyptian suspects: rooms of temples, columns adorned with hieroglyphics, sculptures, golden decoration and so many braziers lit that it becomes quite difficult to fill out the paperwork for health and safety at work. 

Play'n GO also gives the symbols animated reactions, particularly during the expanding features, where full reels light up rather than simply changing into static matching icons. Our background soundtrack heads more towards general adventure music than traditional Egyptian styling, which gives the whole expedition a slightly cinematic feel. 

As far as Egyptian themed online slots go, we think the visual treatment works best once the features begin moving. The base screen alone is fairly traditional, while the expanding animations give the presentation considerably more character.

We get 10 through Ace symbols at the lower end, followed by Egyptian icons and character symbols as payouts increase. Cat Wilde sits at the top of the regular symbol list, with Anubis, the scarab and the ankh filling out the premium group. 

• Wild: We can use the Wild as a substitute for every regular symbol, although not for the Scatter. Three, four or five Wilds pay 100, 1,000 or 10,000 respectively. 
• Scatter: We get 50, 500 or 5,000 for three, four or five Scatters during normal spins. Three Scatters also trigger the free spins feature, while the symbol changes function during the bonus round. 

Free Spins 

Three Scatter symbols trigger 8 free spins. During each free spin, we get one randomly selected regular pay symbol designated as the special expanding symbol. 

Rather than keeping the same symbol throughout the round, the game makes a fresh selection from spin to spin. That small change gives the familiar expanding symbol format considerably less predictability than the standard Book setup. 

Expanding Symbols 

Whenever the selected special symbol appears in a position capable of forming a winning combination, we see that symbol expand to cover its full reel. Expanded symbols can contribute from different positions along an active payline rather than needing the same conventional alignment as ordinary line symbols. 

Because the selected symbol changes during the regular free spins, we can potentially see anything from the lower card symbols to Cat Wilde receive the expanding treatment. 

Wild Scatter 

During free spins, the Scatter becomes a Wild Scatter. We can use this version as a substitute for regular symbols, adding another route into combinations while the expanding symbol mechanic remains active. 

The same symbol also controls access to the Pyramid Spins round, so the Scatter takes on considerably more responsibility once the bonus begins. 

Pyramid Spins 

Landing between 2 and 5 Wild Scatters during a free spin triggers Pyramid Spins, with 4 spins awarded for each triggering Scatter. Our normal free spins pause while this secondary feature runs. 

The expanding symbol selected on the triggering free spin remains fixed throughout the Pyramid Spins instead of changing after each round. We therefore know which symbol we want to see filling the reels for the duration. 

Each Scatter landing during Pyramid Spins adds another spin to the remaining total. That retrigger element can keep the feature running beyond the initial allocation.

We play across a 5 reel, 3 row grid with as many as 10 active paylines. Rather than fixing all 10 lines permanently, Cat Wilde and the Lost Chapter allows the number of active lines to be selected. 

Regular combinations run from left to right beginning on the first reel. We receive only the highest paying combination on each selected line, while Scatter payouts don't follow the normal line requirement. 

The structure keeps the base game straightforward before the expanding mechanics take over during the bonus rounds. Compared with some online casino games built around far more elaborate reel systems, we find the rules here refreshingly easy to follow: paylines first, expanding archaeology later.

We'd put these three alongside Cat Wilde and the Lost Chapter for their Egyptian settings, expanding symbol mechanics or close Play'n GO family ties: 

• Rich Wilde and the Tome of Dead: We get another Play'n GO Egyptian expedition, this time with Rich Wilde and the classic expanding symbol free spins format. 
• Legacy of Dead: We find a similarly traditional Egyptian theme combined with a bonus round built around expanding symbols. 
• Mysterious Egypt: We get another tomb heavy setting with special symbol mechanics that alter the usual Book style formula rather than copying the template outright. 

We think Cat Wilde and the Lost Chapter works because Play'n GO changes just enough without turning a familiar format into an instruction manual. The Egyptian setting hardly qualifies as unexplored territory in slots, and another archaeologist entering another temple isn't going to shock anyone, but the visual effects give the setting more life than the premise might suggest. 

Our favourite change is the way the expanding symbol switches during regular free spins before becoming fixed for Pyramid Spins. That creates two noticeably different stages within the same bonus structure. The selectable paylines feel rather old school beside that feature, though the underlying rules remain easy to understand. 

For us, the strongest fit is with players who already enjoy Book style mechanics but want a little more going on once the Scatters arrive.