Thunderstruck

Editors Note : "Thunderstruck was awarded our pick of Slot Machine of the Year in 2003. It has remained to this day the most popular slot machine at Microgaming powered online casinos since it's launch."

Thunderstruck - Where do we start. It is great to finally see online slots catching up with the video slots that are found in land-based casinos. Thunderstruck is the first ever online slot game to offer a free spin bonus round with a free spin multiplier. It is much like the Australian style pokies made by Aristocrat.

First the basics. Thunderstruck is a five reel, nine line game with a max bet of nine coins per line. It comes in a range of coin sizes starting at one cent and going up to one dollar. You can bet between one and five coins per line giving you a total max bet of 45 coins a spin. This means you can be playing max bet at the penny coin size for 45 cents a spin or up to $45 at the dollar coins denomination. Some casinos have released a high roller version where you can go up to $90 a spin.

At first glance you could easily mistake this game as just another five reel video slot but there is one major difference that sets Thunderstruck apart from the rest - the free spins bonus feature.

Land three or more scattered rams symbols anywhere on the reels and you win fifteen free spins. During the free games all wins are multiplied by three so you can really hit some massive pays during the feature. You can also re-trigger the free spins during the bonus for an unlimited amount of free spins. All free games are played at the triggering bet level.

Top jackpot during normal play is 10,000 coins multiplied by your line bet for five wild symbols on an active line. At max bet this pays 50,000 coins and if hit of the bonus game this pays a huge 150,000 coins. Second highest pay is for the five scattered rams which pays a handy 22,500 coins at max bet. There are then two ways to win 3,750 with the ice hammers or the staffs. In total there are 45 different winning combinations and 14 different symbols.

Just like the Australian style video slots known as pokies, Thunderstruck offers an additional way to boost your wins with the gamble feature. At the end of every winning spin a gamble button appears below the reels. You can choose to risk your win for the chance of doubling or quadrupling it. The gamble feature is simple. Choose red or black for a double or choose a suit for the chance at multiplying your win by four.

Overall this is the best new slot game we have seen online this year. In fact we have closed the entries for slot machine of the year for 2003 - this is it. Download the free software and play this game today. For free or for real money it is a true pleasure to play. Happy free spins everybody!