Dark Queen: a gothic slot with a cold stare

Mood before anything else

Plenty of slots go for bright and cheerful. Dark Queen goes the other way. The frame is shadowy, the colours lean towards black, violet and silver, and the title character dominates the top of the paytable. Around her, the symbols draw on gothic fantasy, with card royals covering the smaller wins. The soundtrack is restrained, which helps if you like playing with the sound on.

The free spins round

The bonus works the way most EGT story slots do: land enough scatters anywhere on the reels and a round of free spins begins. The info screen tells you the trigger, the number of spins and any special rule in play. Read it before the first spin; it is the quickest way to understand what you are waiting for.

The base game is classic line play. The queen and the other high symbols are the ones that move the balance; royals keep the reels ticking over between them.

The card gamble

Each win can go to the familiar EGT gamble: red or black on a hidden card, double or nothing. It suits the dark theme in a way, but it is entirely optional.

It is also a game that rewards patience more than speed. Turning on autoplay for long runs is tempting, but watching the scatters land one by one helps you understand how often the bonus comes close, and that is worth knowing before you ever stake real money on it.

Play Dark Queen free

The Dark Queen demo offers 1,000 virtual credits with no account and no download. Plan 300 spins at the equivalent of £0.10 a line. Keep a note of each free spins round: how long it took, what it paid and whether the queen showed up during it. After two or three bonuses, you will know whether the game’s pace suits you. If you prefer a lighter fantasy theme, Rainbow Queen from the same studio is its opposite in every way. The same game runs for real money at the casinos below.