Scrooge is a game that is themed around a very popular Christmas story, the one about an old man called Scrooge, which doesn’t believe in this holiday. He gets a visit from some ghosts (of Christmas, past, present and future), which show him various things that happen at the same time around the city, happened in the past or will happen eventually. Eventually, Ebenezer Scrooge gives in and starts to care about others as well. It’s a story written by Charles Dickens, which has been transformed into a very good slot machine by Microgaming.
On the same 5 reels on which other slots only manage to use a couple of paylines, Scrooge places 50 of them. Even with that many chances to get paid, you still have a $30,000 top jackpot. Among its features, there are bonus games, free spins, multipliers, scatters and a wild (also with a multiplier).
Features of Scrooge
The game offers both some regular features, like the wild which has a 2x multiplier, or the bonus game, and some that are typical but triggered in an unusual way. Here, I’m talking about the free spins, and the countdown to Christmas that is used to trigger them eventually.
The Scrooge Logo is a wild symbol, one that is found in many other slots in the same form. It can help out in two ways, by forming its own combinations or by being part of others. When it creates its own combo, the wild needs two to five Logos on the same line and going from left to right, offering payouts as low as 5x or as high as 6,000x the line bet. When it acts as a regular wild, substituting for others and helping you form more combinations, it applies its own 2x multiplier, so you win double the usual amount.
Xmas Dinner Bonus
The Scrooge Door Knocker is a scatter symbol, which will bring you into the Xmas Dinner Bonus Game. 3 to 5 Door Knockers are sufficient to trigger the feature, and the symbols can be anywhere on the five reels of the game.
There are five characters at a table, and they’re all hungry. You pick a meal for each one, and you will see who wins the eating contest. Each food has a prize value, between 6x and 20x the bet.
Free Games Feature
You don’t get to trigger the free spins with the help of scatter symbols, like it happens in most games. Instead, at the top of the reels you will find a calendar and a number of free spins. After each round with a winning combination, you have to pick one of the symbols and you get one day on the calendar, one free spin, or a combo with both.
You keep accumulating free spins, until you get the calendar to reach Christmas Day. Once the calendar gets to December 25th, the free spins start up. You have the number of spins which you’ve won along the way, with all the wins being worth twice as much thanks to a multiplier.
Betting options and jackpots
Since you have 50 paylines, the wagers can get rather high, up to $250 if you decide to max out everything. The line bet goes up to $5, using 1 to 10 coins, worth between $0.01 and $0.50 each one.
With the biggest prize being valued at 6,000x the line wager (up to 60,000 coins), you can win $30,000.
Design and symbols
It’s a highly enjoyable game, with high quality symbols, all of them themed and with a connection to the story. The city of London is visible behind, but it’s a view at night. Characters like Ebenezer Scrooge, Timmy, Lady Death or ghosts are all part of the symbols, while others give you money and safes.
Symbols: Scrooge Logo (wild, 6,000x), Door Knocker (scatter, 200x bet), Scrooge (600x), Christmas Past Ghost (400x), Christmas Present Ghost (350x), Christmas Future Ghost (300x), Jacob Marley (250x), Tim (200x), Safe (150x), Money Bag (120x), Ledger (100x), Clock (80x) and Keys (60x).
Is It Worth Playing?
It’s an excellent slot machine, themed around one of the most famous stories written by Charles Dickens. Add that it’s a story to be told at Christmas, and you get a great holiday themed slot, which can be played all year long.
You will find Scrooge at any online casino which chooses to use software from Microgaming, playable either for free or for real money.
