Before the sequels and jackpot versions, there was the original. Head to London and work with Penny the cat-burglar to outsmart the bobbies, perhaps winning some free games too! You’ve got the chance for some big wins, with 243 ways to win, so should you give Beat the Bobbies a try? Keep reading on to find out.

Key features:

Reels: 5

Paylines: 243

Min bet: 25p

Max bet: £50

Slot RTP: 95.25%

Provider: Eyecon

The sound of sirens

We’re in the British capital, and this game is quintessentially British. From the bobbies themselves to the guard and the bulldog, we couldn’t be anywhere else. As a result, there’s a lot of red, white and blue here, with a blue filter over the background and of course a blue play board too. The graphics are 3D in style but very much cartoonish, looking as if they could be from a CGI-animated TV show.

When it comes to the sound, however, like in a lot of Eyecon slots it’s kept fairly minimal. This means no musical soundtrack or character voiceovers, and you may well prefer it more stripped-back like this. Instead, there are the usual slot machine sound effects when you spin, and then a little jingle when you match symbols to win – there’s not much aside from this.

How do we beat the bobbies?

Beat the Bobbies has five reels, but 243 total ways to win – conventional paylines aren’t in play here. All wins are of course multiplied by the total bet, and to win, you just need to get three or more matching symbols in adjacent reels, beginning with the leftmost reel. The scatter symbol also pays out too, but pays no matter where they are on the play board. As a result, they’re multiplied by the total wager instead.

The wild symbol substitutes for all symbols apart from the scatter symbol, appearing on the three middle reels. Meanwhile, there are a number of regular paying symbols, ranging from characters in the storyline to the jewels that Penny the cat-burglar is aiming to get away with! The least-valuable symbol is the old woman – she can get you a maximum of £4 from a £1 spin – while the most-valuable regular symbol is the diamond. It’s ten times as valuable as the old woman, so it’s definitely one to watch out for. However, it’s still not as valuable as the scatter symbol, as five of these will get you 50x your total wager, so £50 from a £1 spin!

Free games on the run

If you’re after free spins, you’re definitely in the right place! Just find three or more scatter symbols to get started – you’ll be faced with five different choices of free game options, so just choose the one you prefer. You could choose 20 free games with a 2x multiplier, 15 free games with a 3x multiplier, 10 free games with a 4x multiplier, 8 free games with a 5x multiplier or 5 free gamxes with a 10x multiplier – it’s up to you! Just bear in mind that free games are always played with the bet on which you triggered the feature.

You can even retrigger free games again, should you get more scatter symbols turn up while using your initial free games. Again, you’ll be faced with the choice of five options – will you go with the same as before or try something new? Free games can be retriggered a maximum of 15 times, and when triggered again, you’ll see a feature trigger counter above the reels showing how many more you’ve got left. You can also find the multiplier on the top right of the reels.

Conclusion

Beat the Bobbies is fun and has an engaging story to follow along with entertaining graphics and a solid theme. An average RTP and medium volatility help it along, but some players might prefer slots with more bonus features. The free game feature here is good, but perhaps not exciting enough for players who like more unconventional slots. That said, with 243 ways to win and some valuable symbols up for grabs, there’s no reason not to give this slot a try.

Provider

Eyecon come from Australia, and have been around since 1997. However, they only began making slots 20 years later, as Fluffy Favourites made its debut. It’s still one of the company’s most popular slots, but it’s now just one of many games in Eyecon’s catalogue. As well as Fluffy Favourites and the Beat the Bobbies range, why not try Beez Kneez, Autumn Gold or Secret Garden?