Panda Pow! Slot

A funky, martial arts-loving bear is the star of Panda Pow!, a 5 reel, 25 payline slot game from Lightning Box Games. The chief attraction in this Chinese-themed game is the bonus round that awards up to 40 free spins where special stacked wilds are brought into play. Stakes range from between 25p and £1,000 per spin.



Lightning Box Games are one of the better developers when it comes to design and that's evident in Panda Pow! The visuals are bright, glossy and have a definite high def sheen. Joining the lower value K, Q, J and 10 symbols are a collection of objects traditionally associated with China.

In ascending order of value look out for fans, lanterns and gold coins which award up to 100 coins. Next comes the goldfish which pays up to 200 coins. Best of all is the baby panda on the tree - every time you see 1 of these on the reels, you're guaranteed a payout. Land 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 in combination and you'll pocket 2, 5, 50, 125 or 500 coins.

There's a second panda to keep an eye out for. This 1 sports and red headband and does a nifty line in martial arts. It can appear on the middle 3 reels only and land in a fully stacked formation and fill whole reels. This kung fu panda (geddit), serves a dual purpose. It acts as a wild and replaces all other symbols - it's also the games scatter and central to triggering the Free Games feature:

  • 5 panda scatters = 5 free spins
  • 6 panda scatters = 8 free spins
  • 7 panda scatters = 12 free spins
  • 8 panda scatters = 15 free spins
  • 9 panda scatters = 20 free spins

Special gold panda symbols are added to reels 2, 3, 4 and 5 during the free spins - these too spin in stacked formation. You can also retrigger the feature giving you a potential 40 free spins in total.

Panda Pow! is a pretty slick affair as far as look and sound goes - the visuals are lovely and there's an Asian-style backing track to build the atmosphere. There's nothing too flashy as far as gameplay in the base game is concerned though. The Free Games feature is a different matter though thanks to the presence of the extra stacked wilds - land these with a high value symbol on reel 1 and some decent rewards are possible.

There's nothing particularly innovative on offer here as far as extras good. With its top-end design and impressive free spins round, it's a perfectly solid effort though and worth considering if you're a fan of all things Chinese. If you like Lightning Box Games titles, Silver Lion is recommended.