Play March of the Mehteran for Free

March of the Mehteran works like pretty much every other 5x3 casino slot known to man. The aim, as ever, is to locate matching combinations from left to right across the reels. The controls couldn’t be simpler. First things first, choose how much you want to wager per pay-line by toggling the + and – symbols in Settings. Hit Spin to spin the reels, Max Bet to put all pay-lines in play at the maximum stake or Autoplay to set the reels in motion for a number of automatic spins. Be aware that you can adjust the number of spins linked to Autoplay in Settings; you can choose between 10, 20, 30, 50, 70 and 100 automatic spins.

The game has a great look. Behind the reels, we see a patterned red tapestry, the kind you might come across in an Ottoman palace. The reel grid itself is fairly simple in appearance, but none the worse for it, as the simplicity allows the character icons to shine. Beside the reels, a Mehmet sultan scowls at you, swishing a couple of long swords.

Icons in March of the Mehteran include crossed swords, a pair of small drums, a separate, larger drum, a trumpet, a separate musical instrument whose name completely escapes me and two special symbols in the form of a wild and a scatter. Each is represented by a moustachioed man in traditional finery. The scatter is the one in green, while the wild wears blue. The wild can substitute for all icons in the game except the scatter, and is also linked to some nice wins in the pay-table. You can claim 165 for three, 1,650 for four and a mammoth 15,000 for five in a line.

The scatter triggers a round of free spins. All you need to do is land three, anywhere on the reels. Unlike some games, March of the Mehteran rewards you with cash for hitting scatters – and not just a trifling sum, either. Hit three scatters and you’ll not only win free spins, but you’ll claim 225. For four it’s 900, and for five it’s a gargantuan 22,500, the game’s jackpot. Imagine winning 22,500 and a bunch of free spins into the bargain. Well, one can dream…

March of the Mehteran includes an expanding symbol. You may be unfamiliar with such a feature, so it’s worth detailing exactly how it works. Before your round of free spins commences, hit stop to designate which icon will be the one ‘expanding’ during the bonus. Note, you are not permitted to select the wild or the scatter. After each free spin, base play winnings are counted; then, providing the expanding symbol that you’ve selected appears three or more times, it will expand vertically to cover the whole reel. All wins are counted once more, along all the active pay-lines.

It’s a Booming Games slot, so we all know what that means: yes, we’re referring to a Double or Nothing gamble round. Gamers can roll the dice after any regular line win. It’s a simple 50/50 game, whereby you select the trumpet or the drum for the moustachioed man to play. The man will then hum and haw, before choosing an instrument (hopefully making the same choice as you.) Gamers can roll the dice up to ten times before the feature terminates. Your winnings are also capped at 10,000. Just hit Collect at any time to return to the base game.

There’s a lot to like in March of the Mehteran. The symbols are well rendered in the reels and the gameplay is solid thanks to wilds, scatters and an expanding reel. Would be like more pay-lines? Sure, but you can’t have everything in this world.