Cops ‘n’ Bandits
Launched back in August 2012, the Playtech developed online slot Cops ‘n’ Bandits is a fun filled game with some clumsy thieves called Skinny Larry and Tiny George. The game sees them trying to get up to no good whilst being chased by Slim McThin who is the local police chief.
Cops ‘n’ Bandits by Playtech is a 5-reel and 3-row video slot with 30 fixed pay lines. The game includes some standard type features that you find on the majority of Playtech Slots. There is a wild symbol which can substitute for most of the other symbols. There is a scatter symbol that can activate a free spins bonus round and there is also an extra mini bonus game called the Line-Up Bonus. Cops ‘n’ Bandits offers a single top prize of 4,000 coins during any single spin in the base game.
How to play Cops ‘n’ Bandits Video Slot
When you launch the game you are initially treated to a short fun animated video of the two burglars in question trying to make off with the loot and being chased by the law. This helps set the scene for the game and shows that it is intended to be fun to play while looking to win some good sized cash prizes. The main game board is a night time scene with the silhouette of terraced houses in the background.
Cops ‘n’ Bandits makes use of several standard card type symbols these being 10, J, Q, K and A. These are the lower value symbols of the game. You then have a bag of cash, handcuffs, Slim McThin, Skinny Larry and Tiny George as the higher value symbols. The wild symbol is the word ‘wild’ against a brick wall and can replace all symbols except the scatter and line-up bonus symbols.
Before playing Cops ‘n’ Bandits online slot you should set your cost per spin. You can do this by using the line bet button. You can set this from 1p all the way up to £25. This means you can set your cost per spin from 30p up to a maximum of £750. However, we always recommend that you set the cost per spin to a value you are comfortable with.
To start playing Cops ‘n’ Bandits you just need to select the red coloured button on the right-hand side of the bottom part of the game screen that says ‘Spin’. You will also see an ‘Auto Play’ button. Clicking this option allows you to have the game spin the reels automatically. You can set the number of spins to 10, 25, 50 or 99. There is no Bet Max button for this particular slot game.
The base game is your normal scenario of matching symbols on a winning pay line and this can include the wild symbol. When you do create a match, the symbols become animated and are quite fun and quirky with for example the cop suddenly shining his light around the game board looking for the bandits. The two main features you are looking for are the line-up bonus and the free spins bonus.
To activate the line-up bonus you will need three of the relevant symbols to land on the game board with one symbol on reel 1, 3 and 5. Here you will be presented with 6 criminals in a line-up. Above them is a cash prize that you can claim. However, you have to reveal the criminal that is holding that cash reward. Select the wrong one and an amount is deducted from the total. Therefore, guess the correct criminal as quick as you can to win the largest amount of the award.
The other main feature being the free spins bonus round is activated when you land 3 or more scatter symbols anywhere on the reels. If you landed three scatters then you’ll be given the chance to pick one of the badges to reveal the number of free spins to be awarded. Four or five scatters landed will mean you pick two of them and the number of spins will be added together.
During the free spins bonus feature, a Locked Wild feature becomes active. This means if a cop appears directly to the left or right of a bandit, that bandit will be locked up and become a locked wild for the duration of the spins. Locked wilds are only available on reel two, three and four. Once your free spins are concluded you are simply returned to the base game.
Cops ‘n’ Bandits Video Slot Tips
On the bottom left of the game screen, you will see a button with the word ‘info’ in the middle. Selecting this will allow you to view a series of 5 screens that give information about the game including the main features as discussed above. You can also view the coin payout levels for the number of matching symbols on a pay line along with a grid view of how the wins are generated. These screens help familiarise you with the game and what you need to do to get the best wins possible.
If you are new to playing the Cops ‘n’ Bandits video slot, then you should initially try out the game in Freeplay or demo mode at one of our recommended online casinos. This means you can spin the reels as many times as you like for fun without having to spend your own cash. You will see how the gameplay works and then if you want to play for real you can switch to real cash play at any time. If you would like to play Cops ‘n’ Bandits for free then you can at Paddy Power Casino.
Is Cops ‘n’ Bandits the right video slot for you?
The Cops ‘n’ Bandits video slot has a theoretical RTP (return to player) of 95.3% giving a house edge of 4.7%. We tested the game over 200 spins and found the game to be a medium to high variance slot. Although the game is fun and quirky, it was slim pickings as far as cash rewards were concerned.
Although we never went more than 7 spins without a win, this was quite frequent and even then the cash rewards were only decent on the odd occasion. We quickly saw our cash balance deplete. Even then it took over 200 spins to land a bonus feature which is where the bigger cash prizes can be won. You will like the Cops ‘n’ Bandits slot if you are looking for a game that offers bigger cash rewards when the features land and if you are prepared to wait for that to happen. As these can take a while to arrive you should consider using a free casino bonus if you have one available so as to save your own hard earned cash.
