The wombat says: Let’s take a trip out to the Arabian desert Wombat Fans. The romance of the Middle East, the excitement of the Arabian Nights or the riches of Ali Baba’s cave – Genie’s Gems is where it’s at: they are all up for grabs here in this Microgaming release.
Oh, and there’s also a bit of genie magic thrown in for good measure, too. So let’s rub the lamp on this online video slot game and see which delights (if any) this generous genie will bestow on us…
Look and Feel
The graphics are pleasant enough, and an Arabian-style melody plays over the top whenever you hit a winning combo, but there are no 3D graphics or cool animations (check out later games like the Dragon Dance slot machine for more of these) which makes us very sad-faced wombats indeed.
Game Play
The Genie’s Gems slot has 5 reels, 3 rows and just 5 pay-lines. As this is one of Microgaming’s older games, this makes sense (well, the Cool Buck slot is even older- or should we say more classic- and that has 3 reels. It’s still popular though). .
Your symbols on the Genies Gems reels consist of 5 icons and they are all related to the Arabian Nights theme, they include the golden domes of an elegant building, a flying carpet, the famous bejeweled lamp, a giant blue diamond and the genie symbol himself. Add to this your lower value symbols made up of the standard playing cards 10, J, Q and K, and you are ready to spin.
The Genie icon is the Genies Gems’ top payer, awarding a 10,000-coin jackpot if you hit 5x of them across the reels, with the bling bling Diamond symbols paying next best at 5,000 coins. When it comes to Bonus icons, however – forget it.
Genie’s Gems is a five reel video slot: a simple game, outlined by the absence of any wild symbols or bonus features so this is a slot where spinning the reels is what it’s all about. The game is as bright as the Germinator slot though- we can’t fault the designers for vibrancy.
Genie’s Gems is a high variance slot meaning that payouts are likely to be rarer but higher; the highest payout available is worth 10000x your bet and can scoop this Middle Eastern delight by landing 5x of the genie symbols on an active line.
It is also possible to win with just 2 symbols on a pay-line playing this slot but only with the 10 & J.
Conclusion
Sadly Wombat fans, the only gems on offer in this Microgaming slot are the ones that the genie will give up if you manage to release him from this bottle. Genie’s Gems is a dated game, and playing this slot without Wilds or Scatters it’s the equivalent of a dinosaur.
If you’re looking for something very simple or you like playing retro slots, then this might be your thing. Otherwise move on to something better, like a trip to the panto…