Play Books & Bulls for Free

Books & Bulls is a visually attractive game, with the 5x3 reel grid superimposed on a pleasant scene showing a (presumably Spanish) cobbled street, wisteria climbing the historic old buildings and a resplendent blue sky in the background. The grid sits above the control panel, with buttons for Auto, Max Bet and Spin. There’s also a dollar-sign button, which links to the pay-table, outlined below.

And, well, that’s about it. Gamers can keep track of their ‘total bet’ value and (overall) ‘balance’ by squinting at the tabs at the foot of the screen.

There are ten symbols in Books & Bulls, including a Spanish señorita in a red dress, clacking a set of castanets, a separate set of wooden castanets, a red cape and a sword and playing card icons, including 10, J, Q, K and A.

The wild symbol is represented by a dashing male waving a sword. Attired in a bullfighter’s fancy blue jacket, he appears to have his gaze fixed on a snarling bull, which remains just out of shot. The wild can replace all other symbols in the game to help you form winning combinations. The icon cannot, however, replace the leather-bound book or the image of the bull (the scatters). At maximum bet (4,000 per spin), the wild pays 8,000 for two, 80,000 for three, 600,000 for four and 2,000,000 for all five in a line.

There’s also a symbol holding the key to free games. This is the leather-bound book with golden tassel. This icon is linked to solid pay values and also yields 10 free games. The pay values, meanwhile, include 8,000 for three, 80,000 for four and 800,000 for five.

A further special symbol is the bull, which appears in the centre of a shield. The bull pays the same as the leather-bound book and also provides 10 free games. However, during the free games triggered by the bull, the bullfighter wild becomes a sticky wild, helping to trigger yet more wins.

The señorita symbol is one of the few icons which pays out for just two matching symbols. This one pays 4,000 for two, 32,000 for three, 320,000 for four and 800,000 for five.

Among the regular symbols, the red cape and the wooden castanets pay best: 4,000 for two, 24,000 for three, 80,000 for four and 600,000 for all five. Next, it’s the ace and king, which both pay 4,000 for three, 32,000 for four and 120,000 for five. Thereafter, it’s the jack and queen, paying 4,000 for three, 20,000 for four and 80,000 for five, followed by the 10, which pays 4,000 for three, 20,000 for four and 80,000 for five.

Books & Bulls is a game that offers a wide betting range, although you’ll need to have pretty deep pockets to play. With that being said, you can win an absolute fortune if your luck’s in, particularly if you can hit five of any one particular symbol. Gameplay wise, there’s plenty to like, with solid graphics, decent animations and two separate scatter symbols.

On the downside, the music is standard generic video slot fare and five paylines isn’t very many, which means you could be waiting a while for a win (although you’ll be rubbing your paws when that win finally arrives).

Our suggestion? Play this one in free mode and see how you get on. After all, you’ve nothing to lose. If you’ve got that lucky feeling, you might just be compelled to play with real cash. If that’s the case, here’s hoping you hit a big win.