Chinese Dragon Slot Review

There’s not a symbol around that speaks quite as proudly as that of the dragon, a beast that can dominate and destroy civilisations at a time, it is as majestic as it is deadly. Add into that the Chinese version of the dragon, and all of the above becomes a harbinger of luck too, meaning you’re sure to have a fine display of good fortune and drama.

This 5-reel slot from Merkur might not look all that intense, for it has a very relaxed aesthetic and pastel tones, but that isn’t to say it can’t wow you. Offering up a selection of free spins, as well as varied money prizes, it’s a rewarding and easy to play real cash slot.

Challenge Accepted

When users see a small interface such as this one, delivering 10 fixed winlines, it can be easy to assume ease of play – there’s not a lot of room for missed opportunities. However, that isn’t how slot machines work, in fact the less winlines you have the more difficult the gameplay can be. Add to that natural high volatility and you have a real challenge on your hands.

Chinese Dragon is a highly taxing game to play, for the wins don’t occur all that often. We played several rounds with no wins, even from the lower end of the paytable. All this was also with the minimum bet, so it wasn’t because the monetary risk was too high, which in retrospect we’re thankful for. You’re not going to get easy pickings here, so be prepared for a serious trial or it’s best to go home.

Raging Fire

The dragon icon of the table is the scatter symbol, which means it brings with it as many as 10 free games. That isn’t an overly generous amount to reward gamers with, but it’s by no means the lowest; it’s a middling prize for an average slot machine.

To access these features, you’ll need to get between three and five of a kind of the icon; when this happens not only will the rounds be yours, but so too will a lump cash sum. The amount you can receive is dependent on the figure you bet with at the start, so if you want to leave a high roller, make sure to bet like one and go big.

Besides the scatter, there’s only the wild that has any ‘special features’, and that is only the ability to substitute other symbols, save for the scatter itself.

The Risk Factor

There’s an element of risk with any slot machine, unless you’re playing for free, in which case the idea of turbulence and losses will be redundant to you. However, if you are playing for real, and are interested in even greater risk taking, why not try the gamble options presented after each win?

In Chinese Dragon there are two in total, both of which are formats that regular players will have seen before. Regardless of whether you choose the ladder or the card, you’re going to have a fight on your hands to keep those funds in your account. Luckily, Merkur have included a collect half widget, for those that want a guarantee of walking away with some form of money.

Big Bets, Small Charge

As we’ve mentioned before, the bets are connected to the wins, and so betting big is favoured over going small. A factor that will put low paying customers off, for the accessibility of the game becomes reduced the higher your punt. The redeeming feature of this is that Chinese Dragon only has a maximum stake of 20 credits, which although not exactly cheap, isn’t too costly either.

If you start off with the low pay-in of just 0.10, you’ll be looking at wins ranging from 0.10 to 25 credits; that’s still an improvement on your initial cost, but not by much. Should you instead go for the 20 coins wager, you’ll be looking at rewards priced between 20 and 5,000 credits. A max bet widget is on hand to take you straight to the top, or you can use the (+) and (-) if you’re not so adventurous.

Friendly Dragon

This slot machine isn’t one to be fearful of, for it has a paytable that is friendly but without being too giving; it presents challenge with decent monetary gains. The features are a tad sparse, but as far as variance goes, it isn’t the smallest we’ve come across.