Play Great Empire for Free

Despite that somewhat underwhelming top prize, this slot machine does have a lot of historical and cultural worth, presenting a set of symbols that will take players back in time to a magnificent oriental empire. The reels themselves are ochre yellow, and they take their structure from a frame of bamboo as they are propped over a verdant and tranquil garden of blossoming trees. And just to make sure that players are transported to the correct far and distant corner of the world, a series of Chinese-style sound effects will play as winning sequences are achieved.

In order to make those winning combos, you will need to familiarise yourself with the symbols involved in the game. First of all, there are some generic playing card values from the royal end of the deck, such as J, Q, K and A. Far from being ordinary, however, these icons are colourful and glazed, designed in such as way as to emulate authentic Chinese calligraphy.

More visually stimulating symbols include a pink lotus flower, a formidably grand statue of a Chinese guardian lion and a formidably adorable image depicting a giant panda. There are also two characters in this slot machine – a princess and prince both of whom are realistically presented thanks to some deft graphic design by EGT.

At the end of the day, this slot machine doesn't offer anything particularly mind blowing with its theme. In fact, the historical Asian theme has been done time and time again. However, there isn't anything particularly wrong with the design to suggest that you would easily find a better alternative elsewhere.

Great Empire belongs to the “Touch” range of online slot machines by EGT. What that basically means is that the game is optimised for mobile and tablet touchscreens such as Kindle's and, as such, the options work a little bit different to most other slots. In theory, it is quite straightforward – you just have to tap the cog icon to open the settings menu where you will be able to establish your wagers and even arrange for the game to spin automatically. From this menu, players can access the payout tables by clicking the (i) icon.

There are a maximum of 10 paylines available to play with in Great Empire, and spinners can choose whether they want to play will all of them or if they want to limit their losses by playing with 7, 5, 3, or even just 1. Altering the number of activated paylines will change the available total bets, but all you really need to know is that the line bet values are 1, 2 5, 10 and 20. So, if you choose to play with all 10 paylines, the highest wagering option available will be 200 – a multiplication of 10 lines with the maximum line bet of 20.

Of course, playing with such a big bet is risky business, but it will reward the game's juiciest jackpot of 20,000 credits when five yin and yang symbols appear on a payline. The next most valuable icon is the prince who pays up to 10,000 credits and the princess not too far behind with 8,000.

As well as offering the biggest bucks, the yin and yang wild symbol is also an expanding wild, meaning that it will fill up all three reel positions when it appears before it substitutes for all other icons. That is except for the scatter symbol, depicted as a traditional Shaolin temple. Find three of these symbols on the first, third and fifth reels and you will be able to take you pick of three bonus free spin rewards:

With the addition of EGT's standard 50/50 gamble and a mystery jackpot bonus game, this game is a very well rounded slot machine. Admittedly, the theme has been done time and time again, so it may not immediately capture the attention of seasoned spinners. But nonetheless, Great Empire is well designed and filled with exciting bonus features.