Marco Polo: from Venice to the court of the Khan

The Silk Road on five reels

Marco Polo spent years travelling east and came back with stories nobody believed. Novomatic's slot borrows that sense of distance: the reels carry symbols from the journey, with exotic goods, travellers' kit and portraits sitting above the usual card values, and the explorer himself as the symbol you most want to see.

The layout is the familiar one for the studio's classics, five reels and three rows with fixed paylines, and the screen stays uncluttered. No side panels, no collection meters, just the reels.

What to look for on the reels

Like most of its stable-mates, Marco Polo is built around a wild, a scatter and a free games round triggered by that scatter. The info screen sets out the specific rules: which symbol is wild, how many scatters start the bonus and what happens during it. Read it once in the demo; it takes a minute and saves you from guessing.

Players who know Columbus will find the comparison natural, since both games turn a famous voyage into a slot. Marco Polo's palette is warmer, all reds and golds, where Columbus is mostly sea blue.

A practical Marco Polo demo session

The demo opens with 1,000 virtual credits, without sign-up or download. Begin with 100 spins at a stake equal to £0.20, simply to learn which symbols turn up most. Then play another 150 and focus on the bonus: how long it took, what it paid and whether the base game kept you afloat while you waited.

That second half is the useful one. It tells you whether the game's rhythm suits you, and that matters more than any single win.

The gamble and what comes next

After a win, the card gamble lets you stake it on red or black. In free play you can see how often it pays off without risking anything. If Marco Polo suits you, the same game is available for real money at the casinos listed below.