Brought to you by Play’n GO, Book of Dead aims to intrigue you with the mystical riches of ancient Egypt and take you on a quest for gold from which you will most certainly return – whether wealthier or just exhausted, it remains to be seen.

But you have to be up for it. The full name of this video slot is Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead.

This means you will have an experienced guide through this slotastic adventure which launched in all the best Play’n GO casinos in 2014. The graphics are crisp and the sounds are inviting; don’t think about the darkness of ancient Egyptian tombs but rather about the light and shimmer of all of that gold hidden below the sand.

It’s a pretty clear clone of Novomatic’s Book Of Ra, but funnily enough it seems to now be more popular at online casinos than the original.

Play’n GO’s Book of Dead video slot brings back the character of Rich Wilde, an adventurer moulded specifically to resemble Indiana Jones, someone we can all relate to. Rick is looking for the Book of Dead, not upstairs on the attic, mind you, but down below across hidden passages of forgotten Egyptian tombs.

Egyptian mythology is a common theme when it comes to video slots online, and certainly something that players have had the chance to experience at US online casinos, but Book of Dead takes on the Egyptian fascination for life beyond death, and combines that concept with adventurous elements and, of course – a couple of extraordinary deities.

As you load the game, you will find yourself inside a pyramid temple supported by pillars and build from huge blocks of stone. The colour hues tilt towards yellow and golden nuances, so as to announce the riches that lie within. You can see that some of the pillars and stone blocks have reliefs and everything appears quite royal and solemn. The symbols fit in with the theme nicely – we have our number one adventurer and guide, Rich Wild, beautifully designed representations of Anubis and Osiris and one of the Pharaoh.

The rest of the paytable symbols make for an underwhelming affair considering that low-valued icons are simple laying card symbols from 10 to Ace. The Book of Dead icon is the key winsning flattering sums, as it represents both the Wild and the Scatter.

When it assumes the role of a Wild, other regular symbols will be replaced by it in order to complete winning combinations. In its role of a Scatter it needs to appear in three positions in a single spin in order to initiate the main special features.

This Egyptian quest comes with one in-built feature and one special feature that needs to be triggered with just the right combination of symbols. The Gamble feature becomes active after every regular win.

You can see the Gamble and Collect buttons blinking on the sides of the main Spin button. Should you choose to gamble your winnings, you will need to pick red or black and go double or nothing with the software.

The Free Spins round is what it’s all about. Three Scatter Book of Dead symbols anywhere in view will initiate this bonus round of 10 gratis spins. Landing more Scatters during the round allows you to add more free plays. In other words, the round can be retriggered.

To make things even more interesting, the developers have decided that one random symbol will be chosen before the round starts, and that symbols will acquire the power of expanding.

If a winning combo is possible, the chosen icon will expand and cover all positions on its reel. Two of the chosen icons are enough to cause the expansion, and they don’t need to be on adjacent symbols, just on the same payline.

In terms of bets, Book of Dead is not an expensive online slot. Wagers start at 0.01 and go up to 50. We can all agree that that’s not an intimidating range of bets offered by a slot machine. However, the game’s high variance is what eventually eats up the player’s bankroll, so you might consider that before you start spinning.

The risks may seem big while the wins are small, as it takes time to trigger the free spins. According to statistics, free spins are launched every 100 or 150 spins. If you’re going to risk it, might as well bet the max. It’s good to know that the RTP for Book of Dead is 96.21%.

Looking at Book of Dead on a wider scale, it becomes clear that the game shares many similarities with Novomatic’s Book of Ra. However, the fact that Book of Dead was made during the peak of the smartphone era is what’s setting it apart and making it more desirable.

It may not be as energetic as some Play’n GO slots with the similar theme, like Riches of Ra, but the free spins deliver big wins, so you shouldn’t miss out on this one. Look for it at your preferred US online casino.