Beetle Mania: surfboards, sunshine and a classic car

A road trip to the coast

The title is a pun, and it tells you most of what you need. Beetle Mania is a nostalgic trip to the sixties seaside, with the rounded little car that became a symbol of the decade, surfboards, palm trees and sunshine. The palette is warm and saturated, and the whole game has a light, carefree feel quite unlike the tombs and treasure hunts elsewhere in Novomatic's catalogue.

The framework, on the other hand, is the studio's familiar five reels and three rows with fixed lines.

The free games

The heart of Beetle Mania is a free games round triggered by scatter symbols. The info screen explains the exact trigger, the number of free games and what changes during them, and this is one game where reading it is genuinely worthwhile: the round has its own special rules rather than simply repeating the base game. Check the screen once in the demo, then watch the feature with that in mind.

Getting started with the Beetle Mania demo

The demo comes loaded with 1,000 virtual credits and needs neither sign-up nor download. Play roughly 250 spins at a stake equal to £0.20. In the first hundred, simply get used to the symbols. In the rest, concentrate on the bonus: how often it arrives, how it plays out and how the result compares with what it cost to reach.

Retro games like this one can be deceptive. The cheerful presentation suggests frequent small wins, but the base game can go quiet for longer than you expect. That is exactly what a free session reveals.

Gamble and Deluxe

The standard card gamble follows each win, double or nothing on red or black. A Deluxe edition of the game also exists with refreshed graphics. If you enjoy the original here, the same slot is available for real money at the casinos listed below.