One Ring to Rule Them All…
As far as the layout of this game is concerned, it provides players with a five reel and three row interface, so everything should be quite familiar in that respect. Upon these reels, you’ll find various different icons, the first of which are represented by the often seen A, J, K, Q and 10 symbols, and each of these has had a thematic twist put onto them, such as the helmet next to the ‘K’ or the shield resting on the ‘J’. These symbols are joined by several different character icons as well, which exist in the form of Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, Liv Tyler as Arwen and Christopher Lee as Saruman in the first instance. There’s also an icon of the four hobbits – Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin – Orlando Bloom as Legolas, John Rhys-Davies as Gimli the dwarf, and Cate Blanchett as Galadriel. Hugo Weaving makes an appearance as Elrond, while Ian Holm is included as Bilbo. Frodo by himself is also one of the sole icons.
Alongside these, you’ll find that Microgaming have included a total of 243 different ways to win, and this addition is not able to be customised in any way. One thing you are able to customise is the amount of the wager you’re able to place per spin, and this is done in the first instance by altering the value of a single coin. This can only be changed between the minimum of $0.01 and the maximum of $0.05 though. However, you can also increase the amount of coins you play per round, and this allows you to play a maximum overall wager of 600 coins per spin.
…And in the Darkness Bind Them
This game features various different special additions to it, and these start with the frequently found wild icon. This is represented by the game’s logo, and as a wild, it will substitute for all other symbols on the reels in order to form a winning combination. The only symbols which are excluded from this rule are the scatters and the expanding wild icons. This is stacked on various different reels in order to provide you with larger chances of forming wins.
As far as the aforementioned expanding wilds are concerned, this is represented by the Eye of Sauron. This one will only appear on reel three, but if it does make an appearance and form part of a winning combination, it will expand to fill up the entire reel. This again will provide you with further opportunities to create wins.
Included in the game alongside all of this is a scatter symbol, and this is represented by the ring in question. You’ll need to spin three or more of these onto the reels in order to trigger its special feature, but if you manage to do so, you’ll be rewarded with 15 freespins. During this round, you can win a total of 1.9 million coins, and on every spin, you’ll see one reel changed completely into a wild reel.
Film Fanatic
As mentioned, fans of the Lord of the Rings films will definitely be able to appreciate this offering from Microsoft, as it features many graphics and animations from within them. The special features are very adequate and it really puts you in to the thick of the action.
