John Hunter and The Book of Tut

Introducing John Hunter and the Book of Tut slot

John Hunter and the Book of Tut is the fourth in the John Hunter series that comes courtesy of Pragmatic Play. The slot is based on the land-based “Book” machine from Novomatic and amongst the things it offers to players the best has to be the expanding special symbols in the free spins feature.

Whenever the word “Book” is used with relation to slots it is difficult not to conjure up pictures of the Book of Ra from Novomatic that started the John Hunter series in the first place. There is no doubt though that Pragmatic Play has continued excellently in the same vein with this slot being remarkably similar. This is not the first time that the developer has explored this genre for example “Ancient Egyptian Classic,” but now is the time to open the book once more to see what there is inside.

Theme

When it comes to the visuals in this slot, they are much improved when compared to the original, although after ten years of enhancements in technology you would expect the slot to be easier on the eye. However, this slot does not disappoint and although the images in the background have been upgraded the reel action has kept its classic ambience. The reels are situated in the middle of the desert with the hot sun beating down and pyramids in the distance. John Hunter has just arrived back from his travels of Italy and South America and is complete with Fedora hat.

Gameplay and Bets

John Hunter and the Book of Tut plays out over a 5-reel, 3-row with 10 pay lines. When it comes to placing your bets, these start from a minimum of 10p per spin up to a maximum of £100 per spin making this a slot that is sure to appeal to the masses.
Amongst the specialities this slot has to offer are the way the pay lines light up each time you land a win which is created with two or three of the lower paying symbols. There is also a jingle that will certainly remind you of the Book of Ra, well that is those who know the slot. The jingle plays on every spin and is comedic if you opt to play the slot using the turbo mode.

The base game is not that interesting as it is really all about waiting for the famous book symbol to make an appearance. The symbols are the same as the original slot with the lower payers being represented with the usual playing card symbols 10 through to Ace and these sport colourful icons on the main body for decorative purposes. When it comes to the higher paying symbols Pragmatic Play have opted to use symbols that relate in one way or another to the theme, these being a cat, a scarab beetle, Tut and John Hunter himself. Unsurprisingly, John Hunter is the most valuable and will reward you with 500x your stake if you land five of a kind.

There is no surprise that this is a hugely volatile slot which carries a 5/5 rating in the developers lightning bolt meter. The return to player however stands at 96.5% which is probably the most generous that has been offered in any of the Book slots thus far. You need to be careful though as this is a default setting and could be a great deal lower dependent on where you are playing. As a comparison the Book of Dead has a return to player of 96.2% whilst Book of Ra Deluxe is far lower sitting at 95.10%.

Bonus Features

The features on offer in John Hunter and the Book of Tut are remarkably similar and in this slot the book symbol is key. It can perform two functions as it is both the scatter and the wild. As a wild, the book can substitute for any of the symbols on the pay table to create winning combinations. When used as a scatter, landing 3 or 4 books on your reels will reward you with 10 free spins. What is even better, is that landing 3, 4, or 5 book symbols will reward you with 2x, 20x, or 200x your stake whilst also launching the bonus game.

Prior to the free spins starting, the book symbol comes open and a regular symbol is randomly selected. Whilst playing the free spins, any random symbol will appear on your reels and expand to cover the reel in its entirety. You only need to land three of the lower paying symbols to net a win, or you only require 2 of the premium symbols. Better still, if you land 2 premium symbols you will still be rewarded with a win even when they are not adjacent to one another. The bonus game continues further as the book symbols remain in play and three or more will reward you with an additional 10 free spins and there is no limit to the quantity of times this can be won.

Conclusion

If you are au fait with the Book of Ra slots, it is easy to see that John Hunter and the book of tut is a spin off from this. This slot offers up some mathematical alterations which make it distinctive, for example there is a higher return to player and a lower house edge which is always a good thing for players.

If you are a fan of the original Book of Ra you will be pleased to see that many of the elements in this slot are the same. The base game is not that special; however, the pure genius comes from the bonus game where you will see expanding special symbols to provide you with plenty of wins.

It is true that these kinds of wilds are available in other slots, however the properties of the special symbols give you more of a chance for this to happen. When it comes to win potential, you can land 5000x your stake and although this may appear modest it is achievable by landing 5 of the expanding John Hunter symbols during the free spins.

This Egyptian themed slot is a solid offering and there is no doubt that the developers at Pragmatic Play have enhanced this game not only with stronger statistics but also with some expertly executed visuals. The bonus game is particularly enjoyable and if you are a fan of these types of slots you will definitely be thrilled rather than disappointed.