Rainbows End, Microgaming's 25-line, 5-reel video slot boasts a whopping lead prize of 5,000 times line multiplier. This prize is enhanced even more by the chance to wager 20 coins (valued from one penny to 25 cents) on each of the 25 pay-lines. Combine this with the slots' wilds, multipliers, bonus-spins, scatters, and a bonus gamble feature, there are options galore to give players an array of chances to win big.
Rainbows End spreads an Irish leprechaun theme across one of Microgaming's older 5-reel interfaces. The icons -- rainbows, pots of gold, shamrocks and the like – look good at first glance, but the soundtrack never ventures beyond a stereotypical Irish jig and the animations seem barely animated.
The animations for the leprechaun and pot of gold, which leap up when a player wins, seem to have had a little more thought put into them. By the time a player gets to the winning icons, however, the design of the rest of the game has taken the fun out of the fun. Adding the gamble bonus feature, often seen in Microgaming’s older products, helps to increase the winnings without risking too much money. However, even the chance for greater winnings can't disguise the reality that this is on the whole an inferior game.
This makes for disappointment for veteran slots players, because Rainbows End shows signs of having the potential to have been a spritely, enthralling Irish-themed slot if only more careful attention had been given to its production values. The variations will engage some players, especially as the winnings pile up, but longtime slots players will easily recognize Rainbows End as another case of "might-have-been."
Three or more of the Leprechaun symbols wins a player bonus spins and a bonus multiplier. It's great to sit and watch as the bonus spins earn winnings amid colorful backgrounds and a medley of Irish music.
Rainbows End includes a gamble game, technically not a bonus, that will double or quadruple the bet. Each time a player wins, no matter the award's size, there's a chance to gamble the winnings on a better prize. The player gets a chance to guess whether the next card is red or black (a 50-50 chance) to double the prize.
The other option is to guess whether the next card is a diamond, spade, heart or club, a 1 in 4 chance. One recommended strategy for Rainbows End is to gamble using the smallest prizes in an effort to transform them into big winnings. However, if gambling fever gets hold of a player, the temptation looms large to risk big winnings on an even bigger award. Then that dream of Irish luck could turn the pot of gold into an empty cauldron.
• Software: Microgaming
• Reels: 5
• Lines: 25
• Progressive: No
• Max Win: 5,000x
• Max Coins/Line: 20
• Coin Values: 0.01 to 0.25
• Bonus Round: Yes
• Multipliers: Yes
• Scatters: Yes
• bonus spins: Yes
• Wild: Yes
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