The best slots have the ability to stand the test of mine, even in the face of ever-evolving technology and animation. If you need proof of this, take a look at Pharoah’s Fortune as an example. Its simplicity was its strength when it was launched and it remains its strength today, While you won’t find any movie-cut scenes or cinematic animation, what you’ll get is a fantastic online slot with a bonus feature that rewards you simply for activating it, even if the reels don’t go your way.

Egypt is always a popular theme and that’s exactly what you'll find in Pharaoh’s Fortune slot, a game that you can play over on this site. Here, you go deep into the cultured and rich history of Egypt to locate the treasures and symbols that are hidden within the slot. The legendary Pharaohs were some of the world’s wealthiest people. This slot offers you the opportunity to get a taste of those riches by attempting to take away their fortune.

While the slot was released in 2006, the intelligent design from developer IGT has prevented any signs of ageing. Egypt is, of course, known for its wall paintings and hieroglyphics, as we've seen in other Egyptian-themed games like Strange Brigade, available on PS4 and Xbox. After all, we’ve managed to use those very things to decode some of the country’s secrets. So it’s of little surprise that they should be used as symbols in an online slot. By doing just that, IGT has added a timeless quality to the game. The layout of the reels and rows are not presented in any kind of extravagant way: it’s 5x3, there are 15 fixed pay lines, and there's only a small number of symbols to help you secure paying lines as often as possible. The reels are integrated into the walls of an Egyptian temple, with two columns for support. These columns are adorned with hieroglyphs, much like the reels.

Authentic Egypt

Each of the symbols in the slot is very much on-theme so you won’t be seeing any dull playing cards or the like. If you know your Egyptian history, you’ll recognise such depictions as the Eye of Osiris, Anubis, and Horus, along with images that are more challenging to decipher. Each feels authentic and adds to the overall visual atmosphere while playing.

The symbols are more than just the standard issue you’ll see in many other slots. There are even three further inclusions. Firstly, there’s the Pyramid, which features the slot’s logo. This is the wild and replaces any symbol, excluding the scatter and bonus symbols, to help you form winning combinations. A scarab acts as the scatter and pays you in multiples of your stake should you get at least two appearing on the reels. Then there’s the golden Egyptian death mask, which provides you with access to the bonus feature.

We should also let you know about the soundtrack. Hopefully, you like The Bangles’ ’Walk Like An Egyptian’ because it’s pretty much on loop. The first few bars are played constantly in the standard game. In the bonus feature, the first verse is indeed played on a loop. The chorus kicks in at the end of the bonus. Fortunately, it’s a classic song and helps to emphasise the timeless quality of the slot.

Bonus features As a retro slot, there shouldn’t be any expectations as to it being crammed with bonus features. In fact, there’s just one. However, it does offer something that you may not have seen before: a guarantee that you’ll win with each spin of the reels, even without a winning line.

The Free Spins feature is triggered when you find at least three golden death masks on the reels. To count, they do need to be on a recognised payline, however, so it isn’t the easiest task in the world to trigger the feature. I can assure you, however, that you will want to keep on playing until you do find it. Even without a winning line, you will win 3x your stake. That might not be a fortune but it’s something that you won’t find in most other slots.