The imagery in Book of Stars is much more elaborate than what's usually found in Novomatic-powered slots. Set against a backdrop of ruined ancient Greek columns and overlooked by statues of astronomers, the reels include stylised playing cards alongside golden gods, goddesses and wise owls. The modern day female treasure hunter is the top paying of the standard symbols, awarding between 10 and 5,000 times your line bet.
The mysterious Book of Stars is the game's wild, substituting for all other symbols. It's also a scatter - land 3 or more of them anywhere on the reels and you'll trigger the Free Games feature and be awarded 10 free spins. Before your free spins play out, 1 symbol will be the designated expanding symbol.
After each free spin, the expanding symbol can expand to fill 3 positions (i.e. the whole reel) and in the process, offer more chances to create a winning combination. You can also win more free spins with 20 in total possible.
You can add another wild to the reels, the ring, if you opt to play with the Extra Bet feature. The new wild appears on reels 2 and 4 and substitutes for all other symbols including the Book of Stars and the expanding symbol. Activating the Extra Bet will cost you – if you are playing at the minimum stake (40p), it will go up to 50p. An extra 25% on top basically. It will help you trigger the feature more easily which always helps.
The variance in Book of Stars is on the high side with the best results coming via the free spins feature, especially if you manage to find 1 of the high value symbols as the expanding symbol. The feature is identical to that found in other Novomatic titles including favourites like Book of Ra Deluxe and Lord of the Ocean.
The theme is slightly unusual but makes a welcome change from the usual Egyptian setting - visually, it's rather nicely done, even if the backing track is Novomatic's generic offering.
Features wise, Book of Stars isn't overflowing - the free spins are decent enough though thanks to the addition of the expanding symbol which can provide some nice boosts to your wins. The feature isn't the easiest to trigger but can deliver some tidy results. If you've enjoyed Novomatic's Book of Ra and Golden Ark, you've find plenty to enjoy in Book of Stars.