The Rat Pack
The Rat Pack online slot was launched by the game’s developer Microgaming in March 2009 so it is one of the oldest online slots that we have reviewed. When you think of the Rat Pack you can be forgiven for instantly thinking of the group of actors and singers of the same name that including the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. However, here you have actual rats who are doing all the singing and dancing.
The Rat Pack slot by Microgaming is a 5-reel and 4-row video slot with 30 pay lines. These are not fixed which means you can choose how many pay lines you would like active. The game includes a x2 wild multiplier that can substitute all symbols apart from the scatter symbol. There is also a second standard wild symbol. The scatter can activate a unique free spins bonus round where as long as you keep winning you keep spinning. The Rat Pack video slot has a top jackpot prize of £7,500.
How to play The Rat Pack Video Slot
When the Rat Pack video slot is loaded and ready to play we found that it is not the best-designed game as far as graphics are concerned. This may be down to being spoilt by some of the newer Microgaming Slots but the Rat Pack certainly looks dated. The colours are rather garish and the cartoon rats could have been drawn better. However, none of these factors affect the actual gameplay.
The game incorporates some standard card type symbols including 10, J, Q, K and A, each of which has a musical instrument from a jazz band included in their design. You then have a series of 5 Rat Pack singers as the higher value game symbols. The wild symbol that can double your win has a x2 on its front and the standard wild is the Rat Pack logo. The scatter symbol is a golden record and you need at least 3 of these to activate the free spins bonus round.
You will need to set your cost per spin before you play Rat Pack slot. Start with the + and – buttons at the bottom of the screen. These buttons allow you to set the coin size at 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p or 25p. You must then decide how many coins you wish to bet per line, from 1 up to 10. Finally, you will need to set your number of lines between 1 and 30. Adjusting these three options allows you to set the cost per spin from as little as 1p (30p for all pay lines) up to a maximum of £75.
To start playing The Rat Pack click the large red ‘Spin’ button. If you don’t want to click for each spin, use the ‘Auto Play’ button instead. This allows between 5 and 100 automatic spins to be initiated. The ‘Bet Max’ button spins the reels at the maximum cost per spin based on your current coin level.
The basic game is exactly that, pretty basic, with your aim being to match symbols on an active win line. The x2 wild and standard wild help to increase your chance of a win and to be fair they did exactly that. The remainder of the game is focused on you trying to land 3, 4 or 5 of the gold record scatter symbols. This will then turn the game screen gold and start the free spins bonus round.
Now, unlike a normal free spins bonus, you are not awarded a fixed set of free spins. The number of gold records you landed will ‘fix’ the reels they are on from spinning apart from dropping down one row at each spin until they disappear off the bottom of the reels. Therefore, as long as you keep landing a golden record, you will keep on spinning for free and winning scatter symbol wins. Once there are no more golden records in view the bonus round will end and you will be returned back to the base game.
The Rat Pack Video Slot Tips
Clicking ‘View Pays’ will reveal 4 screens that help you to learn about the game. There’s information about the main features and you can see the coin payout levels for the number of matching symbols. You will also be able to see the route each line takes over the reels.
Rat Pack video slot can be played for real cash or in demo mode at one of our recommended online casinos. The option to play for free allows you to get a feel for the slot but you can only win when playing with real cash. You can play The Rat Pack Slot for free at 32Red Casino. You can also get a welcome bonus at this casino so you can have even more time to try out this online slot.
Is The Rat Pack the right video slot for you?
The Rat Pack Slot by Microgaming has a theoretical RTP (return to player) of 96.14% giving a house edge of up to 3.86%. We tested the game over 100 spins at a £1.20 cost per spin and found the Rat Pack to be a low variance game. We landed a win very frequently and never had a dry spell longer than 5 spins without a win. The cash size of these prizes ranged from a few pence to quite a few pounds so we were able to play through £120 worth of spins for just £15.
Although the gameplay itself is not very exciting and the animations are not the best, we certainly felt we got value for money. This is a good slot for you if you are looking for some extended game time from a free casino bonus and is a good slot to switch to when wanting to meet any wagering requirements.
