Book of Ra Classic: the original book slot

The game everyone else copied

Long before every studio had its own book of something, Novomatic put an explorer in a tomb and gave him a golden book. Book of Ra Classic is that first version: five reels, three rows and nine paylines, with plain card symbols at the bottom of the paytable and the explorer, the pharaoh's mask, the statue and the scarab above them.

The book is the heart of it. It stands in for any other symbol to complete a line, and it is also the scatter, so three or more anywhere on the reels start the bonus. That double role is why the game feels tense even on quiet spins: one book on reel one is enough to make you watch the rest.

How the free games work

Three books give ten free games. Before they start, the book flips through the symbols and settles on one, which becomes the special expanding symbol for the round. Whenever enough of that symbol lands to pay, it grows to fill its whole reel and pays across all lines, even if the reels are not next to each other. Land three more books during the round and you get another ten.

The pick makes a huge difference. A ten or a jack as the expanding symbol lands often but pays modestly; the explorer lands rarely and pays far more. The game decides, not you.

Using the Book of Ra Classic demo

The demo opens in your browser with 1,000 virtual credits, no sign-up and no download. Free games are not frequent here, so give it a proper session: around 300 spins at a stake equal to £0.20 should show you a couple of bonuses and how long the dry spells can last.

After a win you can also try the gamble feature, guessing the colour of a face-down card to double the amount or lose it. In free play it costs nothing to see how quickly that goes wrong, which is a useful lesson before trying the same slot for real money at the casinos listed below.

Classic or newer versions?

The classic has rougher graphics and fewer lines than the Deluxe edition that followed. Players who like it say the sparse nine-line layout makes each book feel more important. Try it free and judge for yourself.