Play Golden Retriever

Golden Retriever gives Reel Kingdom's familiar collect mechanics a four legged makeover, this time with a cheerful dog running the show. We get five reels, 10 paylines, Money symbols, a free spins round and a separate Hold & Spin feature, with Scatters deciding which bonus path opens. Retriggers add three named modifiers to the free spins round, while the Hold & Spin uses sticky Coins and a reserved multiplier. The dog may be new, but some of the family resemblance is fairly hard to miss. 

The first thing we notice isn't treasure, mythology or another suspiciously wealthy fisherman. We get a Golden Retriever staring back from a sunny countryside setting, surrounded by dog beds, food, toys and the sort of open field where someone has definitely thrown a tennis ball too far. Reel Kingdom keeps the mood light, with rounded cartoon symbols and a dog character that looks more interested in lunch than high drama. 

That simple setup suits the mechanics rather well. The bright backgrounds keep the reels easy to read, while the dog themed symbols give the online slots section something less familiar than another underwater excursion. During the bonus rounds, Coins, Money symbols and Wilds take over much of the visual attention, so the countryside setting never gets in the way of what we're actually following. 

The lower end of the paytable is made up of card ranks, while dog toys, food and the bed move us into the stronger regular symbols. The dog bed sits at the top of the standard set and can form a potential payout from two matching symbols. 

• The Golden Retriever Wild appears during free spins and substitutes for regular paying symbols. We don't use the Wild as a substitute for Scatters or Money symbols. 
• The Dog Bowl acts as the Money symbol during free spins. Each one receives a random potential value before the spin, with possible amounts from 2x to 500x the base stake. 
• The Dog House Scatter can appear on every reel. Three, four or five Scatters activate the bonus setup, while two Scatters in the base game can randomly cause one, two or three existing symbols to transform into additional Scatters. 
• Coin symbols appear during Hold & Spin and carry potential values from 0.4x to 10x the base stake. 

Bonus Selection 

Three or more Scatters start the bonus sequence, after which we receive either Free Spins or Hold & Spin. The number of Scatters matters in both cases, since additional Scatters improve the starting conditions for whichever round is selected. 

Free Spins 

Three Scatters award 10 free spins, four award 15 and five award 20. During the round, each Wild collects the potential values from every Money symbol currently visible. Wilds themselves are also counted towards progression, giving us another reason to keep track of the dog whenever the symbol appears. 

Every fourth collected Wild awards another 10 free spins. The first, second and third retriggers also apply x2, x5 and x10 win multipliers respectively, with each new batch played after the current one finishes. 

Win Fetch 

We reach Win Fetch with the first retrigger. On the final spin before the new batch begins, every symbol along one randomly selected payline changes into the same randomly chosen paying symbol. That gives the transition between the two batches a little more purpose than simply adding another set of spins. 

Can't Lick It 

The second retrigger activates Can't Lick It. A random number of symbols on the grid change into copies of one randomly chosen paying symbol before the next set of free spins starts. 

Can You Dig It 

The third retrigger brings Can You Dig It into play. Random symbols transform into groups of three Money values, and those values are then collected and paid. Possible values range from 1x to 100x the base stake. Once we reach this third retrigger, no further retriggers can occur. 

Extra Money Symbols 

A small rescue mechanic can appear during free spins when a Wild is visible but no Money symbols are present. Random Money symbols can then be added to the grid, giving the collector something to work with instead of leaving our Golden Retriever standing around looking professionally unemployed. 

Hold & Spin 

If the bonus selection gives us Hold & Spin, three, four or five triggering Scatters provide a reserved starting multiplier of x1, x3 or x10 respectively. The normal symbols disappear and we spin with only blank positions and Coin symbols. 

We begin with three respins and a random number of Coins already present. Every new Coin remains fixed and resets the respin count to three. When no respins remain, all Coin values are added together for the potential feature payout. 

Filling every position changes the round considerably. All visible Coin values are totalled and multiplied by the reserved multiplier, after which the grid clears and another round begins with a higher reserved multiplier. Later values can rise through x2, x3, x5, x10 and x25, with x25 staying in place for any further restarts.

Golden Retriever uses five reels, three rows and 10 fixed paylines. We form potential wins with matching symbols on adjacent reels from left to right, beginning on the first reel. 

The base setup remains conventional, but Scatters introduce the main change in direction. Two can occasionally convert other visible symbols into Scatters, while three or more send us into the bonus selection. From there, the game splits into two very different structures. 

Free Spins keeps the regular reel format but adds collecting Wilds, Money symbols, retriggers and modifiers. Hold & Spin strips the grid back to Coins and blanks, then uses sticky positions and resetting respins. Among online casinos, we see both mechanics fairly often, but here Reel Kingdom puts them under the same trigger rather than asking one feature to carry the whole game. 

For our three comparisons, we'd stay close to Reel Kingdom's collect mechanics and animal themes. 

• Finger Lick'n Free Spins: We get another Reel Kingdom animal slot with a simple base game and a free spins round where Wilds become much more important. 
• Roaring Lions Big Bass Jackpot Bonanza: Reel Kingdom changes the scenery to the savannah, while familiar collection mechanics and character led bonus play keep the connection easy to spot. 
• Bee Keeper: We return to the countryside for another animal focused Reel Kingdom release, with a similarly light visual style and most of the mechanical interest saved for feature play. 

We don't have to squint very hard to see Reel Kingdom's usual collect formula underneath the dog costume. Golden Retriever keeps Money symbols, collecting characters and retrigger progression close at hand, but the second bonus route and three retrigger modifiers give us a bit more to unpack. 

Our preference sits with Free Spins. Win Fetch, Can't Lick It and Can You Dig It make each retrigger feel different, while the roaming collection of Money values gives the Wilds a clear job. Hold & Spin is simpler, although the reserved multiplier and full grid restart stop the round from being completely routine. 

We would've liked a little more personality during the base game itself. Still, the Golden Retriever is charming, the rules remain manageable, and at least nobody has asked the poor dog to retrieve a bass.