Game Special Features**

• Wild Multiplier
• Bonus Game Multiplier

Number of Paylines: 5
Number of Reels: 3
RTP% (Recorded/Theoretical): 97%
Variance/Volatility: Medium
Number of Symbols to Trigger Feature/Bonus: 3
Can Feature be Retriggered?: Yes
Number of Free Spins Awarded: –
Stacked or Expanding Wilds in Normal Play?: Yes
Stacked or Expanding Wilds in Feature Play?: No
Number of Jackpot Tiers: –
Auto-Play Function?: Yes

Kicking Off

Goal! is a new football-themed slot machine from Realistic Games that is full of football imagery. The game features symbols such as trophies, referee's whistle, and football boots, while precious gems also appear instead of the usual high cards to award lower payouts. There is a sporting bonus round in this game which gives re-spins to provide extra winning opportunities.

Before the Ref Blows the Starting Whistle

Before you start playing Goal!, you need to choose your bet. You can alter your bet by clicking the plus and minus buttons to select your stake per line from €0.01 to €10.00 each spin. This means your minimum bet is €0.20 and your maximum bet is €100, which gives plenty of room for both low and high rollers to get involved in the action.

The Football Theme

The football theme is immediately apparent with the background featuring a moving advertising hoarding and a blurred image of fans behind the goal. The reels themselves are set out inside a goal net and whenever you press 'start' the reels spin to the accompaniment of upbeat electronic music. There is a lively atmosphere and whenever you hit a win, the ref's whistle blows to signal your 'goal'.

The Symbols

The symbols in Goal! include bright pink football boots, traditional black and white football, gold ref's whistle, silver trophy with red ribbons, and a range of colourful precious gems – diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and amethysts.

The Ref's Rewards

The payouts in Goal! are modest compared to those in some other games, but there are many chances to win with the re-spin feature, so this evens out the gameplay. The highest paying symbol is the trophy, suitably enough, which pays up to 250x your bet for 5 symbols at once on the reels. If you hit 4 trophies, you pocket 100x your bet, while 3 trophies awards 50x your bet.

The Goal Re-Spin Bonus

Although there are no wild symbols or scatter symbols in this game, Goal! does have a special bonus feature. This is the re-spin feature that kicks off whenever you spin 3 matching symbols on all 5 reels together. This happens with surprising regularity so this feature can make a real difference to your payouts over time.

During the re-spin bonus round, the reels flash and you have to click on the football symbol at the bottom of the screen to randomly select a reel. This reel holds in place and all other reels that do not feature the symbol will re-spin. These reels will all reveal either 1, 2 or 3 of that symbol to create some potentially lucrative rewards.

A Game of Two Halves

There is no denying that Goal! is an incredibly simple game. From the basic graphics to the lack of wilds and scatters, this slot machine is suited to players looking for traditional slots fun and a football theme. The music brings an energetic quality to the gameplay and the creative way of laying the reels inside the goal net makes this attractive to look at.

The best feature of the game is of course the re-spin bonus round. This triggers with surprising regularity to create some good opportunities to boost your bankroll, which is much needed due to the lack of other features. Overall, there are two halves to this game and whether you enjoy it or not will depend on your expectations.

This slot has a popular theme and one which will appeal to sports fans, but Goal! will be too basic for players who are used to sophisticated video slots, multiple features or large numbers of paylines.