The pirate theme is right up there with ancient Egypt when it comes to genres favoured by slots developers. Does this latest addition shiver our timbers? First impressions in Fortunate 5 are positive - the reels are set on the deck of an old pirate ship, nestled within the rigging.
They're peopled by a gruesome crew of sailors sporting dubious facial hair and some serious weaponry. The ship's captain, complete with eye patch and parrot on his shoulder is the games top payer. Play at the maximum stakes of £6 per spin and you can win a jackpot of £2,000 if you land 5 in a payline.
The pirate ship is the wild - it can hit on any of the middle 3 reels and substitutes for everything bar the scatter. The skull and crossed swords symbol is the scatter - land 3 anywhere on the reels and you'll launch the Wild Waters Free Games feature.
Here you'll be awarded an unlimited amount of free spins. Every time a wild appears on the reels, it will be collected. Once you've collected 5 wilds, you'll trigger the Wild Storm Super Spin. Here, all the collected wilds are scattered on the reels and will be held in place for the single re-spin that follows.
The other feature is the 2nd Chance Re-spin feature - you'll hit this if you land 4 of the same symbol on an active payline from left to right. Those symbols will be held in place and you'll be given a single re-spin, offering a chance to find that fifth and final symbol to trigger a progressive jackpot payout. At max stakes, the jackpots range from £50 up to £2,000.
Playtech knows how to put together a lovely looking slot and Fortunate 5 is no exception - the pirate caricatures are superbly well drawn and all the symbols are bright and bold against the simple backdrop. In terms of variance, Fortunate 5 is on the high side of medium. There will be spells when you're pillaging delivers little but when the free spins get some wind in their sails the treasure can soon mount up.
Fans of the pirate genre will find much to enjoy in Fortunate 5. There plenty to keep landlubbers entertained too though, especially the unlimited free spins and the quintet of progressive jackpot chances. They may not deliver mega riches but there are still plentiful opportunities if you're lucky to bring back booty aplenty. If you like pirate-themed slots, I recommend Red Flag Fleet by WMS. However, if you prefer Playtech titles, the branded Top Gun is worth playing.