Tomb Raider Pokie
Tomb Raider is one of the most successful Microgaming Poker machines, and deserves to be thanks to some great animations, a host of bonus rounds and the fact that it's based on the hugely popular video game about a posh English girl who has a penchant for tight outfits and big guns.
Presented in the style of the video game, not the movies, Lara Croft, a Tiger, Map and Idol are all rendered in high quality graphics, while the 10, J, K, Q and A are also quite stylish, and match the font used in the video games, although with so many possibilities for other picture symbols from the Tomb Raider franchise I can't help but think it's a bit of a missed opportunity that the same old high card symbols have been included.
Playing Tomb Raider
5 reels and 15 paylines are on offer, with players able to stake 0.05 on a single line if they really want to, although this means that 14 potential winning lines will be missed out, so it makes more sense to have a stake on them all, and bet more per line depending on bankroll. The maximum amount that can be placed on a single spin is 37.50, so it's a decent betting range that will suit most pockets.
Wins occur when several of the same symbol line up on an activated line running from the left side, with the win being dramatically increased in value if more than 3 land at once. The low value playing card symbols pay in the region of 2x to 10x the line bet amount for 3 of the same, but getting 5 of the same symbol on a line results in a payout of 75x to 125x depending on which one lands.
Tomb Raider
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Picture symbols are worth more, so players who get 3 Maps for example will be rewarded with 50x the line bet, while 5 Maps right across the reels will bring in a prize of 500x. The Wild Tomb Raider logo symbol will boost the frequency of these wins by substituting for other ones and completing winning combinations.
The Wild also carries the biggest payouts in the base game, with just 2 being worth 2x payout, but players only need 3 of them for a 200x prize, and if they manage to land 5 Wilds on a line, then a whopping 7500x prize is winging its way to them.
Bonus Bits
Free spins and a bonus game are triggered by some extra symbols, and as it turns up the most often, I'll start with the Lara Croft symbol that acts as the Scatter in this game. When 3, 4 or 5 Scatters appear in any positions, players are given a payout of 4, 50 or 400x the total bet per spin respectively, followed by 10 free spins, during which any wins are tripled in value. The spins can be retriggered by more Scatters.
Next up is the Idol, which starts off a bonus game whenever 3 or more of them land on an active payline. The number of Idols that started off the round determines how much players are likely to win during it. This game takes place in a creepy tomb, that looks like the temple from the first film, hidden away in some far-off jungle that contains 12 golden statues.
The aim of the game is to click on 3 of them, revealing the prizes hidden within, which will be anything from 35 to 1500x the coin value if it was triggered by 3 Idols, while 4 Idols will bring in between 48x and 2000x, and if 5 Idols started the round then the player can expect to pick up wins in the region of 60x to 2500x. It's a good round to enter, as there are guaranteed wins, so as soon as it has been triggered the player can just enjoy picking up several prizes knowing that they won't be clicking for nothing.
Hit or Miss?
To sum it up, Tomb Raider is a quality pokie that will appeal to fans of the video game, or those who have never played it. It looks good, with some decent bonuses and nice payouts, although a maximum win of 7500 in the base game isn't huge. Although a follow-up game Tomb Raider: Secret of the Sword has been released, this original version remains as fresh as ever and the new one complements, rather than supersedes it.
As it comes from the Microgaming range, Tomb Raider is certified as being fair and trustworthy, while it comes in no-download and mobile versions.