You'd hope that a slot game based on art would look a picture and this effort from Playson certainly does. The setting is a grand old museum - symbols include a walkie talkie, A, K, Q and J playing cards, a security guard, bandaged mummy, statue and crown. They're drawn cartoon style and match the caper theme nicely.
The treasure box is the wild - it replaces all other symbols bar the bonus. The painting is that bonus. Land 3, 4 or 5 of them anywhere on the reels and you'll pocket a payout of 40, 100 or 300 times your total stake. You'll also trigger the Bonus Game feature.
Here you have to try and find the discharge switch and turn off the museum's alarm and in the process steal the priceless painting and help yourself to some pretty bonuses. There are 15 rooms in the museum and you'll be given 7 keys - 2 further keys are hidden in these rooms.
Hope to avoid the security guards who are on patrol in 4 of the rooms - find a guard and you'll lose a life. Rewards on offer in each room are 4 to 5 times your total stake. If you manage to locate the painting, you'll pocket a bonus of 20 times your stake. Any keys you have left will also be multiplied by your total stake.
Art of the Heist also comes with a Free Spins feature which is triggered in an unorthodox way. The reels feature a pathway - when the thief Vincenzo appears with the walkie talkie symbol, he'll progress 1, 2 or 3 steps along the path. Land a wild and 1 or 2 free spins are added to the total free spins tally when they are eventually triggered. If he lands in a cell with a Bonus symbol, you'll trigger the feature.
If Vincenzo steps on a mummy after a spin though, he'll move back 2 spaces. If he steps on a security guard, he'll be frozen for the free spins that follow and won't be able to interact with other symbols.
When he makes to the end of the trail, you'll be awarded 10 free spins, plus any extra spins you may have accumulated from the wilds. You can keep track of these via the meter in the top left hand corner of the screen. The free spins will then play out with special stacked wilds added to the reels.
Art of the Heist has much to recommend it - like may Playson powered slot games, the 3D imagery here is superb. The features aren't bad either. The free spins may take some time to trigger but the extra stacked wilds can make that wait worthwhile.
Art of the Heist may not be a masterpiece but it's an entertaining caper of slot that offers plenty of enjoyment as well as a shot at some decent prizes. The variance is in the middle and I prefer more volatile offerings like Eastern Delights (also by Playson).