Avalon slot offes superb Wild and Free Spins features

Did you know that Avalon comes from Arthurian legend and that it was the place where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was forged, and where Arthur once retreated to to recover from wounds he received at the Battle of Camlaan.

Experts now reckon the former island of Glastonbury Tor was perhaps the location on which Avalon was based, which seems odd that now that part of the world is best known for its mud-saturated music festival which takes place almost every year.

There's no doubt that Avalon was a key place in Arthurian legend and it is also an important slot game too. The first of two games, Avalon, was released a while ago now, but thanks to a sizeable jackpot prize and a mobile-friendly version of the game being made available, it still garners huge interest with players today and remains a very popular Microgaming slot game.

So, does Avalon still cast a magic spell over slots fans? We decided to get up from the Round Table and head off on a quest to find out.

Overview

• Game: Avalon
• Developer: Microgaming
• Reels: 5x3
• Pay Lines: 20
• Minimum Bet: 0.40
• Maximum Bet: 200.00
• Jackpot: 105,000
• Free Spins Bonus: Yes
• Other Bonuses: No
• Progressive: No
• Volatility: Low to Medium

Presentation

Avalon is an older Microgaming slot and as such, it does not have some of the more modern technical innovations of some of the other games the company has released. It does look its age to be fair but while the game may not look like much nowadays, it still has game-play in spades, and it is this which really keeps players coming back to enjoy a few extra spins on the slot.

The backdrop is a simple purple colour with a pattern on, while the five reels are placed above this, with the controls for the reels at the foot of the screen. You move between screens by dragging the reels to see the paytable etc. The symbols are basic, but nicely realised, especially the ones linked with the main theme of the slot.

The sound is also a little basic but there are some nice effects in there when you hit some of the better value wins and also when you trigger the Free Spins bonus game.

What is on the reels?

There are a total of nine standard symbols on the reels, plus a couple of other symbols linked to the main bonus features in the game. The lower value symbols are the playing card low symbols, and these range from the 10 through to the Ace and offer a range of wins starting at 5 coins and increasing up to 150 coins.

There are four higher value symbols on the reels too and these are all items linked with King Arthur and his legend and they include a goblet, brooch, coat of arms for Avalon and a crown. Wins on these symbols range from 10 coins up to 800 coins, though you can win a small 5-coin prize for landing two of the highest value symbols, the crown, across one of the pay lines.

Wild features

The main Wild symbol in the game is the Avalon Castle Wild symbol and this can appear on any reel in the base game and can substitute for any symbol other than the Scatter. This is also the highest paying symbol on the reels in the game as five of these across the reels will see you land a 5,000-coin prize.

The Treasure Chest symbol is the Wild in the Free Spins bonus game and it only appears on the reels when Free Spins has been triggered. The good news though is that each time you land this symbol during Free Spins it can be used with other symbols and the other Wild to try and land you some better value wins. You can also pick up a 1,000-coin prize for landing five of the Treasure Chest symbols across the reels in the base game (where it is a standard symbol) or Free Spins.

Free Spins features

To access the Free Spins bonus on the Avalon slot, you need to land three, four or five of the Lady of the Lake Scatter symbols across the reels. When you do, you will receive a cash pay-out depending on how many Scatters you landed and then you will also receive 12 Free Spins.

During Free Spins you can re-trigger the bonus by landing more Scatters across the reels and in addition, you will also receive a multiplier of between 2x and 7x on any wins in the bonus round.

Alongside the Free Spins feature, the Avalon slot also offers players the chance to gamble any of their winnings in a simple Gamble Bonus feature. All you need to do is select whether you want to double or quadruple your winnings by predicting the colour (to double) or suit (to quadruple) the value of your win.

Be careful though as a wrong guess means that you will lose what you wager on the bet but guess correctly and you can double or quadruple the amount you win to increase the size of your win significantly.

Best feature of the Avalon slot

While the Wild symbol is good fun in the base game and the gamble feature is always a welcome thing to have available, it is the Free Spins bonus game that makes Avalon so enjoyable to so many. The fact you have an additional Wild in play in the shape of the Treasure Chest, plus the fact you can earn a multiplier of up to 7x the standard win and re-trigger Free Spins, it is easy to see why so many players keep coming back to play again.

Conclusion

Avalon is a great example of a relatively simple slot game with standard Wild and Free Spins features but which is executed superbly. This gives the slot tonnes of playability and even though this is an older game, it is one that many players will load up time and time again to enjoy a few spins. Especially if you are a fan of lower volatility slot gaming. Avalon II offers a bit more for fans of slots with a bit more substance to them, but if you like the essence of slot gaming presented well, then Avalon does this with aplomb.

You can play the Avalon slot at any of the Mega Moolah casinos.