Dolphin Treasure: Aristocrat's calm classic under the sea

Old school by design

Dolphin Treasure belongs to the same generation of Aristocrat machines as Queen of the Nile, and it shows. The layout is five reels, three rows and 20 paylines; the symbols are sea creatures, from a turtle and a seahorse to a lobster and a fish, plus card ranks. There are no cascades, no meters and no bonus wheels. For a lot of players, that is the attraction.

The online version keeps the original's look, with its bright blue sea and simple animations, so it feels more like sitting at a pub pokie than playing a modern video slot.

The dolphin and the pearl

The dolphin is the wild. It stands in for other symbols except the scatter and doubles every win it helps make, so two dolphins on one line make a real difference.

The pearl in its shell is the scatter. It pays anywhere, and three or more trigger 15 free spins with all wins tripled. When a dolphin is part of a win in the bonus, the doubling and tripling stack. The round can be retriggered by more pearls. If you know Queen of the Nile, you know the system; what changes is the setting and the symbol set.

Playing Dolphin Treasure free

The demo gives you 1,000 virtual credits with no download and no account. Because the game is so simple, it is a good one for learning how a classic pokie behaves:

• Play 300 spins at a stake equivalent to £0.20 and note how long the gaps between bonuses feel.
• In free spins, count how many wins include a dolphin: those are the ones worth six times their usual value.
• Compare a few bonus rounds. With a fixed 15 spins, the difference between them comes almost entirely from the wilds.

Who should try it

Players who grew up on land-based pokies, or anyone who wants a slot without clutter, will feel at home here. Those used to modern features may find it slow. The same game runs for real money at the casinos below.