You've sunk my Battleship!

By Damian Lardchester

Destroyers, Carrier, Submarines and Frigates; everyone knows the classic format of Battleships so what better idea than to encase the game in a slot machine? Well that's what the clever people behind 'Battleship Search and Destroy' have done.

With 25 win lines (the player can chose to play in 5 line increments) and 5 reels the game is a conventional slot machine featuring the standard 9 through to ace symbols, the standard 5 battleship pieces and 3 'Battleship' wild symbols per reel. The player is able to bet between 1 and 5 units per line and like all games of this nature, the maximum bet is of course recommended for the maximum win. The game will pay massively for 'stacked wild' symbols which can add up to a massive 125,000 credit jackpot on the slot.

The graphics, cast in heavy duty army stencil symbols are apt for the game and the animations, most of which are based around guns firing add extra oomph to any win as you imagine your shells flying towards some unknown target. The game is well put together with a great use of colour and the atmospheric music adds to the military feel of the game.

This is one of my favourite machines of the moment. It has two bonus games which are activated by the "Bonus" symbol appearing in any of the three win positions of the first three reels. One feature which is not unique to Battleship Search and Destroy is the increased reel speed and audio samples which feature on subsequent reels when one spins "Bonus" symbols into the win lines; this creates a great feeling of anticipation and excitement around the player getting into the bonus game.

The first bonus game is called "Sink the fleet" and is based on the conventional game of battleships. The player uses the mouse to pick squares and gets a 'hit' or a 'miss' depending on whether or not there is an enemy boat in the area. After 8 unsuccessful tries the player's score is totted up and the player exits the game receiving the extra credits they've won. Each battleship type (i.e. submarine, frigate, destroyer etc.) carries a credit value upon being sunk with the total amount available for a player to win being exactly 16,100 credits.

The second bonus game is called "Winning Encounter" and is played on the conventional reels. The reels have two extra symbols added for this game; a red shell and a blue shell. When a reel with the shell symbol clicks into a win line either you or the computerised opponent receives a hit on their battleship, although each hit you score on the enemy battleship increases your win multiplier by one. It's therefore possible to achieve a 5x multiplier and win a massive 25,000 credits on this sub-game from one line. The game lasts for 100 spins, or will finish when either your battleship or the game's battleship is sunk.

The bonus games pay well and are easy and fun to play, and the whole Battleship Search and Destroy experience is one that will suit all levels of ability in slot players. We would recommend this slot as one that keeps the player engaged and entertained throughout, with the bonus games really being the cherry on the cake of an already well produced slot game.

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