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The last few months Rival Gaming has been concentrating on creating and launching new 3D online slots games. And while Rival Gaming is building a name for themselves in the 3D online slots game arena, they first landed on the online slots map with iSlots.

Not to be confused with an Apple product, iSlots is short for Interactive Slots. These online slots games are known for their bonus games and multi screen regular games. The bonus games in iSlots are not as simple as picking a prize; these bonus games are dependent on the skill of the online slots player. A classic example is the Heavyweight Gold iSlot. Its bonus game had the player pitched against an opponent in the boxing ring. The more skill used in defeating the opponent increased the amount of the bonus prize; naturally beating the opponent played a big part in the player’s overall bonus.

So what is the new iSlot? It is a sequel to a previous iSlot, Hole in Won. The new iSlot is called The Back Nine. The name is based on the game’s interactive bonus game.

The bonus game is a multi level game which in not unusual for iSlots. There are nine levels, and the slots player must pass each level before moving on to the next; if the bonus round ends without successfully passing that level, the player will repeat the player the next time the bonus game is triggered.

The purpose of this multi player bonus game is to play through a nine hole golf course. Each hole is a level and each hole increases in difficulty a bit. Players must pass each hole on this virtual golf course to proceed. A game map is available for players to check their progress at any time.

The Back Nine bonus game is triggered when at least three of the Male Golfer is landed as a scatter on the reels. As for how skill plays into this iSlots’ bonus game, each hole has a par and for the closer the player is to the par, the better the bonus prize.

Players will be able to find this five reel, fifteen payline iSlot at all Rival Gaming powered online casinos.

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January is not over yet. And that means that there is still time for software developers to launch their latest and greatest in online slots games for this month. Rival Gaming, will one of the last, most certainly is not least.

This month sees Rival launches an Asian themed online slots game that they have title Shangri-La and it one of their 3D online slots games. Having been the only software developer to create iSlots, Rival now seeks to dominate the 3D online slots market as well.

There are two bonus games for players to trigger in this slots game. One is the Koi bonus game, based on the Wild symbol; and the other is the Buddha bonus game.

As stated the Koi bonus game is based on the Wild, which is the Koi. Every time a Wild helps to complete a winning combination, the slots player is given a Koi. When five Kois are collected, they turn into Click Me symbols. The slots players then clicks on one of the Click Me symbols, which then reveals the bonus prize.

The Buddha bonus game is triggered when the slots player lands three Buddhas on an active payline. This is the main bonus game of this online slots game.

Slots players are taken away to the temple of Shangri-La, which is guarded by Mr. Fu, a descendent of the mighty dragon dynasty. In the temple players will help Buddha to spin the wheels of the temple. The first wheel reveals the bonus prize, while the second wheel reveals the multiplier. The multiplier is then applied to the bonus amount to give the player the total bonus amount as the treasure of Shangri-La.

A little hidden gem of this online slots game is that if you let the reels sit ideal for too long, a ninja will appear, and slots players can watch as Mr. Fu defends the gates of the Shangri-La temple.

While slots players have had to wait through most of January for the Shangri-La online slots game, the wait has been proven to be worth it. Rival has given Shangri-La its trademark graphics, making it a very welcome addition to Rival’s 3D slots offerings.

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This morning I discussed the latest iSlot. In the realm of online slots games, iSlots and 3D slots games are the latest and greatest in online slots games.

While the appeal of a 3D online slots game might be obvious, the appeal of iSlots might not be as obvious.

To begin with many online slots players out there do not really know what an iSlot is. The term might be familiar but it is usually viewed as merely a name for a different category of online slots. But while iSlots are indeed a different category of online slots, a good many players do not know much about them and why they are in a different category.

For starters let’s look at just the term. The term iSlot is short for interactive slots, and that is the defining feature of an iSlot. They allow the slots player to interact more with the slots game rather than only allowing the player to site at their computer, staring at a screen only watching the reels spin.

The majority of iSlots create a higher degree of interaction by pulling the player into the bonus game. Rather than having the player play a typical pick-a-prize type bonus game, the player must use some skill. The better the skill, the better the bonus game is played and the better the prize is.

Take for example the iSlot Heavyweight Gold. This is a boxing themed iSlot in which the bonus game is triggered by landing one of three opponents one the reels; naturally three of the opponent must be present in order to trigger the bonus game, par the course of triggering anything in a slots game.

Once the bonus game is triggered in Heavyweight Gold, the slots player must help the defending champion beat his opponent by blocking when he needs to block a punch and hitting when his opponent is open. The speed and finesse used in beating the opponent can increase the amount of the bonus prize…if the player succeeds in beating the opponent.

That is what I mean in by more interaction between the slots player and the slots game. With such interaction the slots player is drawn into the slots game more and gets a better playing experience out of it. So remember iSlot is more interactive—easiest way to remember it.

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Not only did this December see Rival Gaming remake and relaunch one of its oldest and most well-known online slots games, but this month also saw the launch of a new iSlot from Rival as well: Japan-O-Rama.

This five reel, twenty payline iSlot features a lot of the stereotypes that come out of and are associated with Japan. Things such as sumo wrestlers, Godzilla, sushi, Ninjas, cell phones, robots, girls with pigtails and video games.

While, yes, it is true that such things did originate in Japan, I feel that the stereotype is a bit heavy handed in this presentation. But the real issue with this iSlot makes the theme look like nothing.

What is it that iSlots are known for? Their interactiveness, that is what separates iSlots from ordinary online slots games. This type of online slots game is known for allowing the player to have more of an influence in the game—most specifically in the bonus game.

But I have to say that the bonus game choice for Japan-O-Rama to be rather ironic.

After landing three of the Sumo Wrestlers anywhere on the reels, players are transported to, this is funny, a casino floor where they come face to face with a game of Pachinko.

Pachinko is a Japanese game of chance. It is like a cross between a slot machine and pinball. Players face a vertical disc with a bunch of metal sticks sticking out of it, similar to the little pins in pinball that the ball bounces off of. Players place their wagers, press start, and watch the ball fall and bounce off of the metal sticks. The sticks the ball hits on its way to the bottom determine if and how much the player wins.

And that is all.

The bonus game in this in Japan-O-Rama has players playing a couple rounds of Pachinko that go so fast you are not entirely sure what happened the first time you trigger the bonus round because before you know it you are through the bonus game and back on the reels.

Yes, that is the bonus game for this iSlot. An iSlot. While the graphics on this one are well-done just like all other Rival iSlots, the design and concept behind this one’s bonus game just do not pass muster on what makes an iSlot an iSlot.

Check back this afternoon for more on iSlots.

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Rival Gaming’s call to fame in the world of online slots is their iSlots.

An online slots game that is an iSlot is a game that requires more interaction between the player and the slots game…hence the ‘i’ in iSlots. Typically the increased interaction comes into play in the bonus games.

Rival Gaming has released a new iSlot this year that is a sequel to its popular Cosmic Quest. The new five reel, twenty payline iSlot is called Cosmic Quest 2—Mystery Planet.

Cosmic Quest 2 does feature a Wild—the Spaceship—but it has given this Wild a little more of a boost than is typically found in an iSlot. The Spaceship is an Expanding Wild meaning that it will fill the entire reel that it lands in, increasing your chances of obtaining even more payouts.

But the Expanding Wild is not the call to fame for this iSlot. Naturally the excitement is found in the bonus game, which is triggered by landing three or more Scatter Astronaut.

This iSlot’s bonus game puts you in behind the controls of your very own spaceship racer. This is where the interaction and skill comes into play. You then have to pilot your spaceship racer through a series of space caves. The faster you finish, the more bonus money you win.

This is a perfect example of how the skill of the player determines how much bonus money the player receives, defining the essence of an iSlot.

Of course there is a no-skill-required bonus game option. Players who opt for the no-skill-required bonus game will then receive a random bonus amount of money instead of having to pilot a spaceship racer.

But the spaceship racer sounds like so much more fun!

It is that sort of excitement and skill and interaction that makes iSlots the kind of online slots game that they are. Like its predecessor, Cosmic Quest 2 is sure to become another iSlot favorite from Rival.

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Slots players hear a few times a month about how casino game developers create and launch new online slots games. But they do not often hear about an older online slots game that gets revamped.

Think of it as making the online slots game in question new and improved.

Such is the case with Rival’s recent revamp of For Love and Money. This five reel, fifteen payline online slots game has been a staple at Rival powered online casinos. Even the launch of new online slots games, including the newer iSlots, cannot take the fans away from For Love and Money.

Well, Rival has finally recognized the draw this online slots game has, and has given it a facelift and relaunched it as a new online slots game.

But fans of the original game will not be disappointed. The same features that were loved in the original are there still. Mostly it was the graphics of this ‘new’ online slots game that have been given a going over: symbols have been cleaned up and animation smoothed out.

The story—and attachment—to this particular online slots game can be found in the opening:

A poet is contemplating love. He sees an older couple, obviously married for money, who are not all that fond of each other. Then he spies a young woman who is set upon by two nasty men; she is then saved by a Fabio-esque man—huge muscles, trim waist and lace up pants (which are kind of funny actually). The poet, I am assuming, believes this couple to be together for love.

Symbols include both couples, the nasty men and love symbols such as Love Birds, Chocolates, Roses and Poetry.

The Poet is the Wild and will substitute for any symbol other than the Scatter. He must be a good poet as he carries a 2x multiplier.

Cupid is the Scatter. A minimum of three Cupids landed will trigger ten free spins with a 3x multiplier.

So as players can see the favorite older features of For Love and Money are still there, just with cleaner graphics and better animation. I have to say that Rival did well with this ‘new’ online slots game. I would only have added a bonus game in which players helped Fabio rescue his girl, or one in which the players helped the unfortunate money man escape his woman.

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Rival is at it again.

Taking Australia and their love a sport they call ‘Footy’ and rolling them into one has produced a new online slots game at one of the online gambling industry’s software developers.

The name of the game is Aussie Rules, and it is a five reel online slots game with fifteen paylines. Players can wager with coins worth $0.01 up to $1, and they can wager from one to five coins per paylines. This makes the minimum wager $0.15 ($0.01 and one coin) and the maximum wager $75 ($1 and five coins).

This time Rival has delivered light and fun graphics to the reels with Whistles, Shoes Players and Jerseys. The Jersey is the jackpot symbol. Landing five of them will payout 500 coins.

Not to be left on the bench are the special play symbols.

The Ref is the Wild symbol, substituting for all symbols other than the Scatters. And while the Jersey might offer the highest payout from the regular symbols, landing five Refs will award 5,000 coins.

Thirsty? Thirsty for winning combinations? The Water Bottle is your ticket to free spins with a 3x multiplier. Landing three awards ten free spins, four gives twenty and five starts one hundred free spins a-spinning.

Finally there is the Football itself. Not only does it function as a Scatter symbol, but landing three, four or five of them will take you right onto the field with the players. The more goals you can score, the larger your bonus game prize is.

All in all, Rival did not do too bad with this new online slots game. While this is no iSlots—the online slots game type that Rival is known for—it is not too shabby at all and definitely worth a try. Trying is good sportsmanship, right?

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Seems like so many things now have an ‘i’ at the front of their names: iPad, iPhone, iPod. And for the most part people believe that the magic ‘i’ makes it all worthwhile—that there is some quality to these iProducts that make them better.

The same iPhenomenon is happening is happening in the world of online slots too.

Watch out online slots players, the iStorm is here!

But iCraze that is showing up in the world of online casinos is not a bad thing at all. In this instance the magic ‘i’ does mean something better.

Traditionally in a video online slots game the player plays the same game over and over, perhaps travelling to a second screen for a bonus game, and then heading back over to the same old game.

In an iSlot players can be transported to Greece to Alaska to the Caribbean. No joke. The name of that iSlot is Baby Boomers Cash Cruise.

In that particular game players start out in the Travel Agency. There they stay until they trigger a bonus game, in which they determine their vacation destination. Once the vacation destination is determined the player is then whisked off to play in a new game with new symbols and new bonus features.

That is the beauty of the iSlot in the world of online slots games—the game does not stay the same. Many iSlots have stages to play through.

As the Reels Turn is a good example of this. In that iSlot players play one screen until they trigger a bonus game that then sends them to the next scene in the ‘episode.’ By the time the player has played all the way through the game, he has reached the climax and end of a TV episode played out on a slots game.

Another type of iSlot has players taking an active role in the game which affects the amount won.

Heavyweight Gold has online slots players picking up their boxing gloves to battle one of three opponents. Players must succeed in beating their opponent in order to win the full bonus game amount. And each opponent has a different fighting style. Winning the boxing match is not guaranteed so play hard!

Now you take those sorts of iSlots and compare them to a traditional video online slots game. In those players spin the reels, choose a door to look behind in the bonus game and then it is back to the original reels.

There seems to be much more excitement and player involvement in the new iSlots.

Right now Rival Gaming is the online software developer who is producing the iSlots. Thankfully many online casinos that are powered by Rival offer free play on some of their iSlots allowing those who are new to the iSlots iCraze try this type of online slots game out.

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This is one apt title for this online slots game.

For the most part I like the online slots games that Rival produces. Typically they pay pretty well and are enjoyable while playing, especially the iSlots. But this one? I have to say that it is my least favorite online slots game by Rival. But then it is an older iSlot.

Fixer Upper is a five reel iSlot with twenty paylines featuring a couple who have bought a house and are now in the process of fixing it up. Naturally the symbols include a Staple Gun, Saw, Drill, Tape Measure and more.

Like any other iSlot this one does have something of a storyline. Actually it is more of a list of things to work through rather than an actual storyline.

In this iSlot players must trigger the bonus game and complete it. They then move on to the next round of spinning trying to trigger the next bonus game.

The first bonus game players must complete is the plumbing game. Three Wrenches must be landed at which point players are taken to a second screen where they replace rusted pipes with new pipes. The bonus prize then increases the value of your ‘house,’ better known as your bankroll.

Once the game is completed players are returned to the reels to spin for the next bonus round. This time they are trying to land Paint Cans. I am not sure what the second bonus game is like as I was not able to trigger it—which is unusual for a Rival online slots game.

Players do have the chance of triggering fifteen free spins though. The Handywoman is the Scatter and landing at least three of her will trigger the free spins. Three of her will trigger fifteen free spins, four will trigger twenty and five will trigger twenty five. Unfortunately there is no multiplier attached to these free spins.

However the Wild is there to step in. It will expand during free spins, and for every Wild that helps to complete a winning combination, the payout is multiplied by the number of Wilds. And the Wilds land fairly often.

Between the poor payouts and the nearly untriggerable bonus games, this is one online slots game I will not be back to visit. That and, personally, the smiles of the handyman and handywoman are just frightening. This is an online slots game that should be played for fun and not for real money.

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What is your favorite lucky charm?

Recently Rival Gaming released a new online slots game to its partner online casinos. While Rival is known for its iSlots, this new online slots game is not an iSlot. This new five reel, twenty payline game still features the extraordinary graphics Rival is known for.

Best of Luck is the name of this new online slots game and its theme is about luck. Every traditional lucky charm is present here, plus some I did not were lucky: Wishbones, Acorns, Rabbit Feet, Four Leaf Clover, Keys, Pennies, Horseshoes, Ladybugs, Elephant Statues, Cat’s Eyes and Chinese Cats. Each symbol has its own animation when landed, adding to the graphic appeal of this game.

I do have to say that I was not aware the acorns were good luck charms. Or keys for that matter. If that is the case, I shall be keeping my keys a lot closer at hand.

This game features a Wild, which is the Chinese Cat. This little guy will substitute for any symbol except for the Scatter Jewels.

While regular game play is fairly ordinary, it is the combination bonus game and free spins that bring excitement to this game. Another plus to Rival slots games is that the bonus games that they feature actually do pay well and are worth the spins to trigger them. On top of that, they are actually fun to play and players’ interests are sparked by them.

Three Jewels awards 4 free spins; four Jewels award 5 free spins and a 2x multiplier; and five Jewels award 6 free spins with a 3x multiplier.

The way these spin work is like this: each free spin awards a bonus game. The bonus game depends on which three matching symbols land on the reels; and each bonus game is unique to that symbol.

For example, if three Ladybugs are landed, players are taken to a second screen with three ladybugs scurrying about. Players must choose a ladybug. The poor thing is squashed but your bonus prize is revealed by it. Three Pennies takes you to a second screen where you must choose heads or tails.

The point is that this online slots game makes you curious about what each of the bonus games are. And you want to keep playing. Thankfully, these bonus games pay. Playing $0.01 per payline, $0.20 per spin, $8.60 was the least amount I won and $13.60 was the most I won. It pays.

With online slots games like these I am looking forward to seeing what Rival will be rolling out in the future.

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