The action features Daring Dave, an Indiana Jones-style explorer on a quest to find ancient treasure. The reels are full of Egyptian style symbols and hieroglyphics, all set against a desert backdrop. The visuals are fairly simple, comic book style offerings but are clearly done. It's all complemented by a hypnotic north African-style backing track.
The base game is all about the expanding wilds. Daring Dave is the wild symbol, substituting for all other symbols apart from the scatter and the bonus - he can expand on the 3 middle reels (reels 2, 3 and 4) creating some excellent opportunities for a bumper score.
If the wilds are the bread and butter of Daring Dave and the Eye of Ra, the bonus feature is the tasty filling. Look out for the pyramid bonus symbol on reels 1 and 5 which trigger the Quest for the Eye of Ra Bonus feature which comes in three stages.
In Episode 1, you'll enter the pyramid and be presented with a series of 8 stones - behind each lies a cash prize. You have to match 3 Eye of Ra stones to crack the code to advance to Episode 2. Don't despair if you're unsuccessful though as the game will remember the stones you've already chosen when you next enter the pyramid.
After you've cracked the code, you'll move to Episode 2 where you must spin the Ancient Wheel bearing a selection of multipliers. You'll be given 3 spins to build your total. Once you've found 3 Eye of Ra symbols, you'll advance to the third and final episode. Once again, the pointers will be saved for the next time the feature is triggered.
In Episode 3, you'll be presented with 3 pedestals - you only have one choice this time. If you pick the right one and find the Eye of Ra, you'll win 75 times your stake. Once you've find the Eye of Ra, the bonuses are reset and you'll start your quest from the beginning again.
The Quest for the Eye of Ra is a good bonus feature, especially as your progress is saved as you go. More likely to prove lucrative though are the expanding wilds which can provide a steady stream of lower level wins. The overall variance is on the low side of medium.
Ancient Egypt is one of the most popular genres for online slots and Daring Dave and the Eye of Ra is a decent addition. The quest style gameplay won't be to everyone's taste and the lack of free spins is a minus. There's still plenty to enjoy here though. It looks and sounds excellent and the expanding wilds offer the potential to win treasure galore. However, when you hear the word ‘Ra’, I automatically think of Novomatic’s Book of Ra Deluxe which is a classic. If you like Ancient Egyptian themes, you should also play Pharaoh’s Fortune by IGT which has been revamped.