Ghost of Dead

Ghost of Dead: Slot Overview

Amongst the hundreds of 'book of' slots out there, some naturally rise to the top of the pile. One of these is Play'n GO's iconic Book of Dead. It might not technically do anything dozens of others don't, but the way it went about expanding symbols then linking them into potential full-screen wins was particularly satisfying. Book of Dead strongly resonated with players keen on a style of gaming that started in a previous slot epoch by Book of Ra.

Ghost of Dead is a follow-on of sorts to Book of Dead, possessing a similar look, though one which delves into a ghostlier side of tomb raiding than most others. Interestingly, Ancient Egyptians didn't view tomb-robbing with the same level of scorn as we do now. The activity apparently played an important function in the society of the day. Some might say it's like the way Novomatic has more or less shrugged their shoulders at the hordes of imitators that have since swooped in and copied their early classic.

In Ghost of Dead, a Pharaoh called Unas has been resurrected and is looking for mortals worthy of receiving his bounteous gifts. In other words, players find themselves in a shimmeringly lit underground tomb, while the 5-reel, 10-payline game grid shines brightly gold by contrast. There's a nod to Book of Dead, but the symbols have been shaken up and give Ghost of Dead a different feel, especially by Una's unusual silver mask.

Playable on any device, Ghost of Dead provides stakes from 1 p/c to $/€100 per spin. Bets can be so low because players activate anywhere from 1 to 10 paylines, though this does limit the effectiveness of the full reel expanding symbols as you will see. As expected, volatility is high, rated at 9 out of 10, whilst RTP is variable as ever, so be on the lookout for the default value of 96.21% as it’s the most generous option of the lot.

The core rule is to land matching symbols in adjacent reels across active paylines to score a coin win. Five 10-A card rank symbols, fashioned in flowing Egyptian font, start the paytable off, joined by higher value Ankhs, serpents, scarabs, and masks. These latter four symbols are worth 60 to 1000 times the bet staked per line for a five of a kind combination.

Ghost of Dead: Slot Features

Unlike most 'book of' slots where the base game is generally a feature free experience, Ghost of Dead provides a Ghost Spin extra. At any time in the base game, a Ghost Spin may randomly be awarded. A royal or high paying symbol is chosen to become a special expanding symbol. If the chosen symbols land on the Ghost Spin, they expand to cover all positions on their reels and pay on all active lines, even if they are not adjacent to each other - the classic 'book of' feature in miniature form if you will.

As usual, one symbol in Ghost of Dead has the dual role of wild and scatter. This is the jackal-headed Canopus which appears on all reels. As the wild, it substitutes for any other symbol and as scatter it triggers 10 free spins when at least 3 land at once. On top of free spins, a payout of 2, 20, or 200x the bet is awarded when 3, 4, or 5 are in view. Next, players choose 1 symbol from a selection of 3 random pay symbols. This becomes the expanding symbol for the full duration of free spins, acting in the same way as Ghost Spins. Free spins can be retriggered indefinitely when 3 or more scatter symbols land.

Alternatively, scatter symbols may transform into glowing versions called spectral scatters when free spins trigger. Landing 3 or more of these spectral scatters awards 10 Awakened Free Spins. Here, players pick 1 of 3 random pay symbols to be the expanding symbol, plus the game selects a second random symbol to be an expanding symbol. Like regular free spins, Awakened Free Spins may be retriggered without limit when 3 or more spectral scatters land.

Finally, Ghost of Dead may ship with an optional gamble feature. Correctly guessing the colour or suit of a face-down card doubles or quadruples the prize. Wrong guesses lose the prize. Players can gamble up to five times in succession, up to a limit of 2,500 coins.

Ghost of Dead: Slot Verdict

Play'n GO has displayed quite an affinity with this format, releasing games ranging from fairly close copies to others with tinkered features to produce original experiences. Into the genre wafts Ghost of Dead, a spectral version to expand the venerable range. Not only is this one slightly ghostlier than others, but it also does free spins differently. Well, slightly differently, Ghost of Dead is no Ra revolution, more a patch or bug fix rather than a total update. It does everything you'd expect a capable 'book' slot to do while sprinkling an extra feature or two on top.

One of the benefits is the random Ghost Spins, mixing up the base game. Not a game-changer, yet it breaks up the rhythm while adding slightly more depth and a dash of tension. Alterable paylines are a boon for players who either want to squeeze as much mileage out of their bankroll as possible or challenge themselves to some one-line theatrics. The main event is as dependable as ever for these sorts of games. Managing to activate Awakened Free Spins means you get two expanding symbols. Having two might be better than one, but if bigger is better, a game like Legacy of Dead might be an option too. Also from Play'n GO, Legacy of Dead turns another pay symbol into an expander every time the feature is retriggered. Then there's Book of Truth from TrueLab that has True Free Spins where every single pay symbol is an expander.

Ghost of Dead is a bit like a cheesy crust pizza - you get all the benefits of a regular 'book' game with a few extras thrown in on the side. Ghost of Dead isn't a major innovation, it doesn't do much you can't find elsewhere already and gamblers could have gotten through life just fine without it. However, Play'n GO has a knack for making these sorts of games and Ghost of Dead is as playable as any other well designed 'book' slot.