Grand Jester

The Grand Jester is probably referring to the jackpot feature here, as the other qualities of this slot are nothing to write home about. It is a very basic classic slot with only free spins and the jackpot feature thrown in. Novomatic has other similar games with quite similar names; they tend to have a bit better production values. But, is this game still worth playing? At least the five reels only have ten paylines, which is quite refreshing in today's hysteria of adding hundreds of lines. Clean simple fun promised!

Theme

As said, what you will find here is a very classic slot setup. Novomatic has at least updated the sound effects a bit, and there are even added music during the free spins. The music hammers in the fact that Grand Jester is an epitome of classic slots, as the sounds you hear are from the playbook of classical music. Well played Novomatic.

Betting Options and Functions

The slot offers ten paylines that can be cycled in ascending or descending order. It’s best to keep at least five lines functioning, and mostly you should play with all ten lines. The player can choose the bet per line, which ranges from 0.01 to 5 coins. Maximum total bet for any single spin is 50 coins and minimum 0.01 coins. Plenty of choices to be made here, though with the lowest bet you’re not really looking at any meaningful wins.

The cast of symbols is extremely traditional. Oranges, lemons, plums, bells, melons, and grapes form the low-playing icons, with bars and sevens paying out slightly more. The wild and the scatter allow you to claim the real winning prizes.

Features

The diamond symbol works as the scatter, and three to five of them on the screen launch the free spins. Twelve spins are awarded initially and more can be won during the bonus feature should scatters show up on the reels again. During this feature, the titular character works as an expanding wild. That is, when the Jester wild appears on the screen he will expand through the reel for the next spin, and the next spin only.

The jackpot can only be won during the bonus feature, and this happens if 15 jesters, or five big ones, cover the whole reel during the spin. The jackpot is tied to the bet, with maximum bet needed to claim the whole jackpot.

A gamble feature can be used to double any basic win with the usual 50 - 50 chance. Ten steps of the gambling ladder allow wins up to 50 000 coins.

Our Take

There are better games out there, and there are better Jester-themed slots from Novomatic itself, with better jackpots. If you are extremely daring then you might want to try your hand at snatching the main pot, but you’ll have to have quite the bankroll to do so. Though with a bit of luck, and Grand Jester’s on the right reels, the free spins can turn out quite cashful events by themselves. Unfortunately, the high volatility means the opposite is usually the case.