The extremely popular Rainbow Riches slot witnessed the launch of several sequels extending the luck of the Irish theme onto unpredictable realms. Rainbow Riches Pick 'n' Mix is one of them, and it’s one of the more feature-rich editions. Barcrest is the developer behind all Rainbow Riches slots, but you will often find them within the WMS portfolio.
Rainbow Riches Pick 'n' Mix is set in a nice green Irish field with glorious mountains in the background. Once the game is loaded, the leprechaun will greet you with a cheerful “Welcome to Rainbow Riches!” There are 5 reels and 3 rows of symbols, with 20 paying lines. Base game symbols are reduced to a minimum – it’s just the Rainbow Riches logo and then the standard 10, J, Q, K and A. However, there is a plethora of special symbols, but we’ll get to them in a second. A big golden coin acts as Wild and substitutes all the regular icons. It cannot replace any of the bonus symbols, which are shown as soon as the game starts.
The player has to select up to three of five possible bonuses. The chances are bigger for the bonus to trigger if you only select one. If you change your mind at any point in the game, use the ‘Reset Bonus’ button to repeat your pick. The bonus symbols are: a close-up portrait of the Rainbow Riches leprechaun, a pot of gold under the rainbow, a free spins icon, the leprechaun again and a pair of mushrooms. These introduce the following bonus features:
• Road To Riches – a spin of a wheel to add multipliers. The mini-game ends when you hit ‘Collect’.
• Pots Of Gold –you will see the pots fly around the screen; one will be chosen at random to reveal a bonus multiplier.
• Free Spins – the round awards 10, 20 or 30 spins, depending on how many symbols triggered it; the Free Spins symbol is stacked on reel 1, acting as an extra Wild. The feature can be retriggered.
• Cash Crop – a screen containing 50 spinning coins appears; they slowly stop spinning to reveal prize amounts and multipliers.
• Magic Toadstool – the player gets three picks from twenty-four mushrooms on display; the rewards include a multiplier or a fairy. The fairy awards prizes from three extra mushrooms.
If you turn on the Big Bet function you will get to the bonuses much faster and you will also increase the return rate. However, this will cost you, so do it only if your budget allows it. Unlike most slots, where players don’t need to think much and they just leave it all to chance, Rainbow Riches Pick 'n' Mix requires a bit of strategic thinking. In terms of bonuses, the game is a beast, so it may not be the best choice for newbies.