Sherlock Mystery Slot Machine

Pros

• Massive top prize. We get excited whenever we see a jackpot of five-figures.
• Great look and feel to the game. The imagery suits the subject matter well and is fitting for the story.
• Lots of enjoyable features. Not only are they potentially lucrative, they also increase the game’s replay factor significantly.

Cons

• Possibly not the most exciting theme for a slot machine. This is a minor quibble as we’re sure many will find murder mysteries riveting.
• Not amongst the highest return to player ratings out there. Being just above 94% isn’t terrible. It could be better, however.

Top Jackpots

The top jackpots in the Sherlock mystery slot are all awarded for hitting five of the highest value symbols across a win line. These icons are a mysterious figure in black (presumably the murderer), Sherlock himself, his faithful accomplice, Dr Watson, and some murder weapons. Hitting five-of-a-kind of each will pay as follows:

• Figure in black (also main game wild symbol) = 10,000x the line bet.
• Sherlock = 2,000x the line bet.
• Dr Watson = 1,500x the line bet.
• Either murder weapon = 400x the line bet.

Game Features

There are some fantastic features in the Sherlock mystery slot machine. They add a great deal of replay value to the title, and can also be incredibly lucrative.

Crime scene bonus

Landing the magnifier bonus symbol anywhere on reels one, three, and five simultaneously will trigger the crime scene bonus. Players must search for evidence at the scene of a murder. They can select from eight pieces of evidence to win instant cash prizes.

Under one of the items is the word collect. Uncovering this wins a cash prize, and collects all the prizes won up to that point. Players then re-join the main game.

Holmes meets Watson feature

If players are fortunate enough to land a Dr Watson symbol to the immediate right of a Sherlock Holmes one, they’ll receive an instant win of 3x the total bet. This can occur anywhere on the reels.

Free games

Landing three or more Baker Street “scatter” signs anywhere on the reels simultaneously will trigger the free games bonus. Players receive ten free games with random extra revolver wilds.
The added gun wild symbol can substitute for all symbols except the scatter, the murderer “wild” symbol and the magnifier bonus.

When it participates in a win, it will multiply it by either two, three, or five. In addition, three or more scatter symbols landing during the bonus will trigger ten more free games. This can occur infinitely. The Holmes meets Watson feature is also available during free games.

Regular Symbols

In addition to the high symbols integral to a good murder mystery, there are also some which pay lesser prizes. As is common for online slot machines, these are all taken from the upper end of a standard deck of playing cards (A, K, Q, J, 10). Hitting five-of-a-kind of these across an active win line will pay the following:

• Ace, or King = 300x the line bet.
• Queen, or Jack = 150x the line bet.
• 10, or 9 = 125x the line bet.

Betting Limits

Players have a large degree of control over how they spend their money on the Sherlock Mystery slot machine. They’re able to adjust the number of lines active on any one spin between one and 20, and the size of the bet placed on each win line. The maximum here is R2 200, and the minimum just 1p.

Therefore, using the lowest possible settings, the smallest bet per spin is just 1p, and the biggest is an impressive R43 000. The Sherlock Mystery slot is one that certainly caters to the highest rollers out there

What We Think

The Sherlock Mystery slot machine is a great title for those who love innovative bonus features, and high jackpots. It’s a well-designed game, and the art style, music, and imagery are all fitting for the rather macabre subject matter. With its maximum bet per spin of R43 000 it caters for some of the highest rollers around too.

We really struggled to find any faults with this title, and the ones we managed are somewhat contrived. All told, it’s a great machine, and well worth checking out. You could say, “it’s elementary, my dear”.