The Best of British slot from Nektan software does exactly what it says on the box: the game is a celebration of all the stereotypes that have come to symbolise the archetypal Great Britain. Flanking the reels, two impassive Grenadier Guards stand to attention in their unmistakeable busby hats. Behind them, marble pillars flank the backdrop to the reels: an enormous Union Jack flag.

Despite the developers’ best efforts, however, the game’s soundtrack, a non-stop repetition of God Save The Queen during base play, is going to annoy purists by missing out the ‘happy and glorious, long to reign over us’ bit of the anthem. Happily, during free spins rounds it is replaced by a medley of patriotic songs, including snatches of Rule, Britannia.

Icons Faithful to All the Britishness                                                         

Best of British uses Poker icons for the low-value symbols, like most slots, but the 10 to A are rendered in smart gothic fonts edged in gold, worthy of forming the street number on the gates of Buckingham Palace. Prizes for these symbols all start at matching three of a kind; three 10s wins X20 the line bet, four 10s wins X50 and five 10s wins X100.

The rest of the icons stick thoroughly to the theme. The pot of tea is the lowest ranking of these, scoring X35, X80 or X300 for three, four or five of a kind. A distinctive policeman’s helmet pays X350 for five of a kind, the double-decker red London bus pays X400, and the fish-and-chips supper has a top prize of X450. The most valuable symbol is the Best of British slot logo, in the style of the familiar Keep Calm and Carry On Internet meme. It wins X100, X250 and X500 for three, four or five matches on a payline.

Wild and Scatter Icons Enhance Wins

Sticking with the theme, the Best of British Wild is a British bulldog on a Union Jack shield, and it is capable of the standard slots Wild substitutions. The Scatter is a parody of the London Underground logo, turned into an arrow reading Spins. Three or more Scatters settling in any position triggers a round of 30 free spins, which is double the number featured in several other Nektan titles.

All the icons can arrive stacked, filling two or even all three windows on a reel. From time to time, identical stacks lining up from Reel 1, interspersed with Wilds, will trigger substantial prizes on several paylines at once.

Controls Optimised for Mobile Play

Like all Nektan slot games, Best of British was originally created specifically for mobile play, although it runs without any drawbacks on laptops and desktops as well. However, the side-screen controls, streamlined features and rapid play all make it particularly easy to get into, using a smart phone or tablet rather than online blackjack real money Canada.

The game has 15 bet lines, and in whichever currency they are using, players can stake 0.01, 0.05, 0.10, 0.50 or 1.00 per line, for a maximum bet of 15.00 per spin. The Spin and Auto Spins controls are to the right of the reels, and the betting and other game options are accessed by two buttons to the left. All four control buttons are within easy reach of the thumbs, providing fast, simple touchscreen control of the slot on any mobile device.