Play Ave Caesar for Free

The game gets going by selecting bets across the 20 fixed paylines. These simply range from 0.20 to 40.00, which won't really attract the high rollers but will suit most other gamblers.

Ancient Rome's impressive architecture fills the backdrop and the see-through reels of the Ave Caesar video slot. Tuscan and Doric columns appear on the screen, with laurel leaves and golden eagles placing us firmly at the height of the Roman Empire.

While the graphics are great, the team have made some unusual choices with the audio. A basic chord sequence builds ominously in the background. This is overlaid with a lot of street noise, horses and crowds. And all of this competes with the jingle of reel spins. It takes a little getting used to and, ultimately, it doesn't quite match the wry humor of the cartoon's visuals.

Symbols on the 5x3 reels are Roman numerals, four characters and the game's logo. Familiarize yourself with these characters of woman, legionnaire and centurion, because they pay from 25x to 300x your line bet. The game's logo offers up to 400x your line bet for five of a kind. However, top prizes of 1000x your line bet come from the Caesar wild symbol. Caesar is the big kahuna, of course. Action across the reels of the base game seems slow at first, even with fast play engaged. It’s not until you encounter the special features that the game starts to make sense.

At any moment, one of four features can occur to help you boost your wins. This is where we see all the animation that enhances the gaming experience. You might encounter the Hannibal's Heroes feature, where Hannibal drives elephants across the reels, leaving multiple occurrences of one symbol in their wake. Or you might experience the Gaul feature, which sees rocks pelted at a tough Gaul, who is a native of what is now Northern Europe. The rocks that land on the reels will transform into multiple occurrences of one of the symbols.

The Centurion Maximus feature sees the army leader march his legionnaires across the reels. As they pass through, they release a pennant featuring one symbol which covers 2x2 or 3x3 spaces on the reels. Finally, you could trigger the Ave Caesar feature, where Caesar offers a pick 'em choice of six scrolls. These could award a five-of-a-kind win, a big win or one of the four bonus games.

Each of these features is entertaining, and can give a great real cash boost to your prize pool. Again, though, they take some getting used to. The animations tend to hold up base game action a fair bit. You may want to play first in demo mode, especially if you have just played another slot. When you have adjusted to the pace, this is a great game to play for real money.

Not only are there four possible bonus games to activate, but the free Ave Caesar slot also offers players a gamble to up the ante, or at least to upgrade the bonus.

Bonus games start at the lower-value end with two pick 'em games – Caesar's Conquest and the Roman Empire.

In the first bonus, players need to select tents for Caesar's romantic assignations. As a theme for a modern audience, it could prove a little tasteless and may put some players off. At the other end of the scale, gamblers get to play at war and conquer new territories in the Roman Empire game. Your prize total is awarded as the screen archly declares the infamous phrase “veni, vidi, vici ”. The last two bonus games award free spins. Glory of Rome features 10 free spins with sticky wilds plus extra spin symbols. Alternatively, Druid Free Spins offers 10 spins with features that could include multipliers, doubling wilds, extra spins or instant wins.

Bonuses can be triggered through the Ave Caesar feature or by landing relevant scatters on the reels. However, players have a chance to gamble their luck on upgrading the bonus they've triggered. Your luck is in the hands of a nervous archer, who will fire when commanded at your target of choice. Even if he misses the bonus you were aiming for, you will still be awarded a consolation prize. Plus, let's not forget the progressive bonus that has to be won before it hits its ceiling value. Gamblers could trigger it randomly after any spin, but are more likely to do so when playing at higher stakes.

Leander Games produce quality, high-tech games, and Ave Caesar is mobile-optimized for the modern gambler's needs. However, there's a huge amount of animation in this game, which not only favors a larger screen, but requires some decent processing power. The game is well-suited to tablets and larger phablet phones, and it’s great on desktop, too. Whatever device you play on, you'll need to be up to date with all the latest software.

We think the Ave Caesar video slot will divide the crowd. There are players who will find many of the features distracting. There are little niggles with audio and some misses in terms of political correctness. High rollers, too, might struggle to build a satisfactory bankroll. On the other hand, this polished Roman-themed slot is undoubtedly high-quality. Top-notch graphics, animation and a huge array of features can entertain and reward. Many gamblers will love the gaming experience on offer here. There's constant action and comedy antics, plus some decent real cash prizes. The progressive jackpot and a top prize of 20,000.00 alone should have the legions flocking to play.