Book of Sheba: Overview

When it comes to ‘Book of’ clones, the secret has been out for ages. Just how many studios have produced their own take on the classic formula? Hard to say, but it’s clearly a big number. Another title can now be added to that ever-growing pile: iSoftBet’s history-inspired slot Book of Sheba.

This isn’t even their first attempt at the style, either, as that distinction belongs to Book of Immortals, packed with Ancient Egyptian gods. Book of Sheba still draws on the ancient world, but swaps the theme and visuals to focus on the legendary Queen of Sheba.

The Queen of Sheba is best known through biblical mentions, and her story is wrapped in plenty of uncertainty. Rather than dive into theories, it’s enough for this review to lean on one famous detail: her immense wealth. The 5-reel, 3-row layout sits inside her lavish palace, framed by gold columns, golden vessels, and ornate arches.

With stakes ranging from 10 p/c and $/€10 per spin, the fundamentals are very much the familiar ones that have been around for years. As usual, you win by landing at least 3 or more low pays, or 2 or more high pays across one of the 10 paylines. The game’s theoretical RTP is 96.0%, which beats the 95.1% found in Book of Ra Deluxe from Novomatic, though it’s a touch below Book of Dead from Play’n GO when played at the default 96.21% setting.

With high volatility, the symbol set mixes classic nods with fresher styling. The 10-A royals, for instance, echo the original Book of Ra lettering—close in feel, though not identical. The premium symbols are new, featuring a gold broach, a gold mask, a lion, and the Queen as the top icon. Five-of-a-kind premium wins pay from 75 to 500 times the stake, and full-screen hits are definitely on the table.

Book of Sheba: Features

Free spins are typically where ‘Book of’ games really deliver, and as you’d expect, it all revolves around the Books. The book symbol in the base game serves two purposes: wild and scatter. As a wild, it substitutes for any other symbol to help complete wins. As a scatter, landing 3, 4, or 5 pays 2x, 20x, or 200x the total bet respectively, and also awards 10 free spins.

Before Free Spins start, a book opens and randomly chooses a special symbol. Players are allowed to refuse the first pick in hopes of getting a higher-value option. The catch is that the second selection is final, so taking the reroll is a risk.

In the free spins round, whenever the chosen special symbol forms part of a winning combination, it expands to fill the entire reel. Notably, the symbols don’t have to land next to each other for this to happen. So if a special 10 shows up on reels 1, 3, and 5, those reels will still expand and generate a payout.

There’s also an extra variation in this version of the book formula. A second book wild called The Golden Book becomes active during free spins and can land on reels 2, 3, or 4. When it appears, it converts that reel into a golden reel. Once a reel is gold, it will change into the special expanding symbol whenever a win with the selected symbol is possible. The golden book acts as a wild that can replace any paying symbol, and it also functions as a scatter just like the standard book.

One of the reasons these book-style slots remain so popular is the possibility of landing one or more retriggers. This happens by hitting at least 3 book symbols anywhere on the reels, which then adds 10 extra spins to your total.

The last feature is Ultra Bet. Press the Ultra Bet button to play 50 games for a price of 50 times the stake. While Ultra Bet spins are running, stars can appear over regular symbols and are collected. After the 50 spins finish, collecting at least 5 stars awards a multiplier prize ranging from x5 to 1,000x the individual bet. In addition, enabling Ultra Bet increases the RTP from 96.0% to 96.5%.

Book of Sheba: Verdict

It’s yet another ‘Book of’ slot, so the core appeal is immediately familiar. If you’ve played one, you’ve essentially played the template, at least to a point. Most releases add a couple of adjustments to stand out, and Book of Sheba includes a few that give players something different to explore. Overall, those changes do a decent job of helping it separate itself from the wider Book crowd.

The first is the Ultra Bet option, originally introduced in iSoftBet’s football-themed slot Hot Shots 2. The unusual part is that it doesn’t cost more than simply playing 50 normal spins, yet it adds an extra way to win. That said, because players are committed to 50 spins, it also allows the developer to build more predictable outcomes into the maths model.

If you were planning to run through 50 spins regardless, switching it on may be worthwhile since there’s a chance to collect up to 1,000x in additional winnings. The bonus round can still trigger while Ultra Bet is active, so you’re not giving anything up.

While it isn’t a brand-new idea, being able to decline the first special symbol is a nice touch. Even better are the gold book and golden reels, which can be very useful for expanding all 5 reels. Pull that off with the Queen as the chosen symbol, and single-spin wins of 5,000 times the stake can happen.

The added mechanics don’t completely hide the reality that Book of Sheba is, at its core, another entry designed to capitalise on a massively popular slot blueprint. Still, the extra features are well implemented, making Book of Sheba a solid option for ‘Book of’ fans or anyone chasing huge one-spin potential in an exotic theme.