The Umpire Strikes Back Slot Review and Free Game By Microgaming

Star Wars fans might just have got a bit excited when reading the title of this slot from Microgaming. It’s nothing to do with battling Darth Vader though, in fact you can’t get much different from space battles to a game of cricket.

This three-reel slot gives its players plenty of chances to get some good wins and it even has a bonus game. So, get in bat and see how successful an innings you can have.

Into Bat

There aren’t too many slot games out there that have a cricket theme. Thankfully, this isn’t a game that can be played for five days and still end in a draw. This is more like a T20 game with the action being much faster and plenty of chances to hit the game for six.

It’s a three-reel game but unlike many that are produced by Microgaming this includes a bonus game, so just like that gap in the field, there’s always something to aim for. This one has a bit of a different look to some of the Microgaming three-reel games. That’s not a bad thing as a change is as good as a rest and almost as good as getting the other side’s top batsman out for a duck.

First Over

Usually in these games, the reels are up in the top left-hand corner of the screen. This time they’re back in their usual position in the middle of the screen. On the left-hand side, you can see details of the nudges and holds and the paytable is on the right-hand side. There’s a green background to the game and it looks as if the groundsman has done a pretty good job. The game logo is down in the bottom left-hand corner featuring an elderly gentleman with a cricket bat.

The three reels in this game contain just the one pay-line. The minimum cost of playing this slot is €0.09 and the maximum €10. Another big plus for this game are the symbols. Most of the Microgaming three-reel games have one or two theme-related symbols and then the rest are usually 7’s, cherries or single, double and triple bars. Not so here because we get signs for ‘4’ and ‘6’, cricket pads, helmets, bats, and an umpire. That totally makes this a cricket game and it’s surprising other games don’t go down the same route.

Bonus Innings

This slot has a bonus game and to trigger it you need three of the cricket balls attached to any of the symbols that appear on the reels at the end of a spin. No free spins but you do get a Hi/Lo gambling game. You are given three numbers to choose and this help you with nudges, multipliers, and bonus features. Get the hi/lo gamble right three times in a row (easier said than done) and that’s great news.

Nudge and Win

Back in the day I had some great fun when the nudge and hold features came along on the fruit machines I used to play in the amusement arcade. They always added a little extra to playing the game and do the same in ‘The Umpire Strikes Back.’

The nudges in this game come along randomly. This can help get you some wins by bringing a reel down by one. It might also help get another cricket ball into play which is always useful. There’s also the option of a repeat gamble or the chance to bank the nudges. Holding the reels is also something that comes along randomly. This again gives you an excellent chance to get some more wins.

There are a few more features in this busy game. The Shifta feature crops up after a losing spin and the reels rearrange to create a winning combination. Then there’s the Let ‘em Spin feature, quite appropriate for a cricket themed game, and we know how well English batsman do against spin. This tells you to ignore any holds and spin the reels for a guaranteed win.

Final Over

There are a few Microgaming three-reel slots that have a busy look to them and have lots of features. It’s similar in some ways to ‘The Gee Gees’ and is a great little game to play. The bonus game isn’t the easiest of ones you’ll play, Hi/Lo ones never are.