Goblin's Gold

Do you know what the difference is between a Goblin and a Gremlin? I'm not altogether sure to be honest (I never really got into the Harry Potter series of films and the only time I ever came across them as a child was to slay them in the Fighting Fantasy series of game-books.

To me, both are green, up to mischief and prone to using magic for their needs. I suppose Gremlins look a bit more like little monsters, but then Goblin's tend not to win any awards in beauty contests either. It's all rather confusing for a lay-person like me.

Anyway, WGS Technology have decided that Goblins will be the focus of their new slot, the third in the Wild X series of games that the company have produced. The game is called the Goblin's Gold Wild X slot (not to be confused with the older Microgaming slot with a very similar name) and this is a retro-styled slot with just three reels, a small number of symbols but a chance to win a top prize of 2,500 times your bet.

So, are these Goblins bad for your financial elf? Let's take a closer look and find out a bit more about this new slot, and how you could get up to 50 Free Spins on it as an offer at one of our popular casinos.

Overview

• Game: Goblin's Gold
• Developer: WGS Technology
• Reels: 3
• Pay Lines: 1
• Minimum Bet: 0.01
• Maximum Bet: 5.00
• Jackpot: 2,500x
• Free Spins Bonus: No
• Other Bonuses: Yes
• Progressive: No
• Volatility: Medium to High

Where can I play the Goblin's Gold slot?

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Presentation

As a more retro-styled slot, the Goblin's Gold Wild X slot is somewhat pared back when it comes to presentation. It is all rather simplistic with the slot designed to resemble a one-armed bandit with the main buttons on the bandit at the bottom accessing the key functions of the slot including the Spin button, an auto play button and buttons which allow you to control how many coins and the size of each coin you want to wager on the game.

In terms of sound, it is very basic. WGS Technology have opted for a somewhat unusual sound effect when the reels spin and come to a halt but otherwise the slot is played to silence. A little jingle plays when you land a win but otherwise the soundscape is rather quiet, which isn't a bad thing if you find you end up muting most of the slots you play anyway.

The pay lines are displayed at the top of the reels and you can scroll through the two pages by clicking the View More Pays or View Less Pays button at the top of the screen.

What's on the reels?

There are not a great deal of symbols on the reels. The lowest value symbols are the Cherry, which can trigger a win when landed just once on the single pay line. Wins with the Cherry start at 4 coins and increase up to 10 coins for any two Cherries or 20 coins for three across the pay line.

There are also three different Bar symbols, single, double and treble. You can land these in any combination across the line to win 10 coins, three single bars pay 20 coins, three double bars pay 40 coins and three treble bars pays 60 coins.

The other standard symbols on the reel are the two seven symbols, one red and one blue. You can land any combination of these two 7 symbols for an 80-coin win. Three blue sevens pays 120 coins and three red sevens pays 160 coins.

Wild features

There is a Wild symbol on the reels and this is the 3X Wild symbol. This is on each of the three reels and when you land one to help complete a winning line, then you will receive a 3x multiplier on that standard win. If you land two of these Wild symbols together then they combine to give your win a big boost by offering a 9x multiplier on the win.

The biggest win in the game however comes when you land three of the 3X Wild symbols across the pay line as this triggers the 2,500 coin jackpot prize. This is called the Treasure Quest bonus although it is simply landing three of the Wilds across the reels.

Free Spins features

The Goblin's Gold slot does not offer a Free Spins bonus round.

Other bonus features

One of the key bonuses on the slot is that some of the symbols on the reel have an arrow attached to them which points either upwards or downwards. This indicates that if this symbol lands just off the winning line, then it will 'nudge' upwards or downwards (depending on the arrow) into position. This can be a useful asset in the game as it can lead to additional wins (indeed, my first win came from one of the treble bar symbols nudging down to create a three-symbol winning line).

Oddly, there is a Gamble button on the slot but it does not appear to light up when you land a win in the game, so what purpose it actually serves I am not sure.

The main bonus of the slot is the Treasure Quest bonus which triggers randomly when you wager 3 credits per spin. In this game, you must help the goblin collect the coins to move him up the three levels to unlock the bigger cash prizes. Land on an Exit square, and the game ends.

You click on the screen to activate the roller which tells you how many steps the goblin will take and whatever he lands on, a cash prize, a coin, a mystery prize or the dreaded exit, determines what happens next. Collect enough coins and you can move up to the next level and maybe even claim the top prize. Once you land on an Exit square any cash you have won is credited to your balance and the bonus round ends.

Best feature of the Goblin's Gold slot

The best feature for me of the Goblin's Gold slot is the 3X Wild symbols. They don't land very often but when they do, you usually find that they contribute to a decent sized win, which can often see you turn a profit on your session, or at least claw back a significant proportion of what you have spent. The Treasure Quest bonus is a nice addition to the game, although it can take a while to trigger and the information about the bonus before you play it is somewhat scarce.

What does the Goblin's Gold slot lack?

The main thing that the Goblin's Gold slot lacks for me is a Free Spins bonus round. Although I can forgive the game this somewhat as it is designed to be more like a retro slot, however the inclusion of the Treasure Quest bonus also does make me ask if you are going to include one bonus game, why not include a Free Spins bonus, or at least a re-spin bonus, to offer players a chance at a prize that way too.

Conclusion

The Goblin's Gold Wild X slot is a nice addition to the Wild X series from WGS Technology and it has some nice prizes available, especially when those big paying Wild Multipliers get involved in the wins. There are more than the usual number of bonus features on the slot for a retro-styled game, but I do feel the game suffers a little due to a lack of Free Spins. Also, the lack of information about the game and its bonuses doesn't help people who like to do their research before they play a slot. However, if you are willing to ignore that and enjoy a few spins, Goblin's Gold is well worth a closer look.

Ratings

• Presentation: 13 / 20 - It's fair to say that the presentation on the slot is somewhat basic and perhaps a little unusual without the usual generic slot sound effects you come to expect from retro games. I like having information out front but I have knocked off a couple of marks for the lack of information available on the slot about the game and its bonus features. The sound could also be markedly improved with the addition of a gentle soundtrack.
• Game-play: 12 / 20 - Slots are by their nature repetitive and there are times when the Goblin's Gold Wild X slot does see you just spin, spin and spin again, but then when you trigger a good sized win or a bonus feature, you do feel like you have earned it. Personally, I enjoyed the game as the bonus features helped break up the game play somewhat and you always felt like you had something to aim for when playing.
• Bonus Features: 14 / 20 - For a retro slot, the Goblin's Gold Wild X slot has a number of interesting features and I think they help the slot a great deal. The Wild 3x Multiplier is a great bonus and can lead to some very nice wins in the base game and the Treasure Quest Bonus is also a great idea and helps break the game up when it is triggered. Add to that the symbols nudging up and down the reels and you have a retro slot that is packed with more modern elements and the game works well as a result.
• Entertainment Factor: 12 / 20 - I always find that retro-slots, usually because they don't have many other features, tend to be a bit repetitive in terms of enjoyment but I think Goblin's Gold due to the bonus features and the Treasure Quest bonus feature, doesn't really suffer from this. You can get a little bored of playing the base game when it is playing tight and not offering up bonuses or wins but when they do come along, you do feel justifiably rewarded and the size of the wins often puts a smile on your face.
• Play Value: 10 / 20 - Some medium to high variance slot games can chew through your balance in double-quick time but Goblin's Gold isn't one. You can wager small amounts which helps, but also if you play for a lengthy spell then you are likely to hit a decent sized win and that can, at times, help reduce how much you spend, or if you hit the big win early, offer you a decent profit. The bonus features are the keys to landing these better value wins.
• Overall 61 / 100 - Goblin's Gold is a decent medium to higher variance game that offers a good mix of pays to players and which has a number of interesting bonus features, some of which offer some sizeable prizes. The base game is decent enough fun to play and if you are prepared to invest a bit of time to play, then it can be rewarding. However, only play with the full three credits bet otherwise the main bonus feature is not available and that does diminish the appeal of the game greatly.

Good Luck!

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