The reels are set within a chamber and are watched over by a pair of animal gods. The sandstone reels include the usual A to 10 playing cards alongside the cat god Bastet, bird god Horus, the Sphinx and an Egyptian queen. Land 5 of Cleopatra and you’ll win 25 times your total bet.
That same amount is on offer if you land 5 of the wild which replaces all other symbols apart from the Bonus. When the Bonus hits on reels 1, 3 and 5 on the same spin, you’ll be given the pick of 2 bonus features:
Tomb of Tutankhamun Bonus feature - this is a pick me round which is set in a burial chamber. Pick squares to reveal objects and with them cash prizes. Land a key and you’ll progress to a new chamber where bigger awards are on offer. Find a sarcophagus key and you’ll go through to the jackpot round. Pick from the 3 masks to win a cash prize or the progressive jackpot.
Curse of the Ancient Free Games feature - here you’ll be awarded 15 free spins. 1 symbol is removed after every other free spin, boosting you chances of landing a winner towards the end of the feature. Look out for the sarcophagus keys - land 3 of them on the same free spin and you’ll enter the jackpot round once your free spins are over. Again, select from the 3 masks to win a big cash bonus or the progressive jackpot.
You can up your stakes and play in Hi-Roller Spins feature - this brings a special hieroglyph symbol into play which can transform into a wild or bonus symbol or award instant cash or multiplier prizes. Play 10x your usual stake and the hieroglyph appears on reel 3 only. Play 20x your total bet and the hieroglyph spins on reels 1, 2 and 3.
The design is perfectly solid, especially the haunting soundtrack that accompanies the spins. All bonus features offer some very decent potential too. We landed them regularly but found them very hit and miss when we did trigger them. This is because Pharaoh's Treasure Deluxe is highly volatile.
We enjoyed our best success when making it through to the Sarcophagus Chamber where you’re guaranteed a very decent sized win. We’ve taken many desert treks to Egypt - Pharaoh's Treasure Deluxe is certainly one of the better ones and does the classic original (Pharaoh’s Treasure) more than enough justice. If you like high variance, ancient Egyptian themed games, you cannot go wrong with Book of Ra Deluxe from Novomatic.