Ancient Egypt Classic Introduction

Developer Pragmatic Play has been in the business for years, yet lately they seem to have shaken off the dust and headed in a fresh direction. There was a period when launching almost any 5-reel, 3-row title could still do the job, but the landscape has changed and the rivalry is harsher than ever. Players are more informed about what they’re spinning, and that has influenced what the market wants. Even if a little late, Pragmatic has understood that it’s volatility and huge win potential that gets people talking about their slots.

Today’s review covers a take on the classic Book slot format, a template that’s been copied to the extreme. Nearly every studio appears to have its own version, though it’s mainly Play’n GO that has achieved broad mainstream success with its clone Book of Dead. We recently published a review of another Book clone, Book of Adventure, made by Stakelogic, sister company Novomatic—the creators of the original Book of Ra. With the same layout, core mechanics, and paytable, the choice often comes down to presentation, RTP, and factors like hit rate and bonus frequency—stats that aren’t always visible to players.

Games in this style hardly need much introduction, but to follow the usual format and keep things consistent, here it is: Ancient Egypt Classic is a 5-reel, 3-row slot with 10 fixed pay lines. It runs on all devices, and the stake range matches most other Book slots, sitting between €0.10 and €50. The 96.51% RTP is a touch higher than Book of Dead (Play’n GO) and Book of Adventure (Stakelogic) at 96.21%, and also above the original Book of Ra Deluxe (Novomatic) 95.10%.

While it’s not exactly groundbreaking, the warm palette and clean visuals are easy on the eyes. The action takes place in a pyramid treasure chamber, with the reels framed by hieroglyph-covered pillars and burning torches, tied together with a haunting Egyptian-style soundtrack.

Ancient Egypt Classic Symbols & Paytable

In Ancient Egypt Classic, unlike many traditional Book slots, you won’t be hunting red books; instead, golden scarabs take that role, acting as both scatter and wild. The lower-paying symbols are the A through 10 card ranks, while the higher-value icons are The Eye of Horus, Ankh cross, and Anubis—very much in line with the theme.

The standout symbol, though, is Cleopatra. Likely a nod to the 1963 film, she’s depicted in a way that strongly resembles Elizabeth Taylor. If you hit 5 of a kind Cleopatra symbols in the base game, you’ll receive 500 times the stake.

Ancient Egypt Classic Free Spins

Landing three or more golden scarab symbols grants 10 free spins. As with other Book slots, one special symbol is randomly selected as the expanding symbol before the free spins begin. Whenever it appears on the reels—whether it forms a line or not—it expands to fill the entire reel, which helps by boosting the number of winning pay lines.

The symbols expand with 3 low-value symbols and 2 premiums, and it’s during the bonus round that the 5000 times the stake maximum win is possible if you manage to land 5 Cleopatra symbols.

Ancient Egypt Classic Conclusion

Since Pragmatic Play slots can be a bit of a b**** when it comes to actually triggering bonuses, it does make us somewhat hesitant to pick this as our default Book slot. On the plus side, Ancient Egypt Classic offers a slightly higher RTP than most of the alternatives. With the games being largely the same in mechanics, paytable, and pay lines, the decision really comes down to what you personally prefer—how smooth it feels, which one seems to treat you better, and similar factors.

As a copy of one of the most successful slots ever made, Pragmatic has managed to deliver a solid option in the category. Will it knock Book of Dead (Play’n GO) off its pedestal as the Clone of All Clones? Probably not. Not necessarily because it’s inferior, but because there’s no obvious reason for players already comfortable with Book of Dead to switch over to a new go-to clone. Still, time may give us a reason to revisit that verdict.