A Review of the Amazing Slots by Cryptologic
Cryptologic (often referred to as Crypto), were one of the first casino software manufacturers. They started in 1995, and provided software to their first casino client one year later. This software house never offered casino games directly to players, instead licensing their titles to casino and poker site operators who would handle the player interactions. After some big successes and also some setbacks, Cryptologic was sold to gambling giant Amaya in 2012.
This page gives you a complete overview of Cryptologic slots. First of all the company background is covered, including the devastating effect of the legal changes in the US in mid-2006. Next my 3 picks for must-play slots from Cryptologic, who have many amazing titles to choose from. After that you will find an overview of the other slots and some of the other games on offer. Finally, with the future of slots definitely mobile, I have covered the device compatibility options of this software provider.
Cryptologic Slots – Company Overview
Crypto was formed by brothers Andrew and Mark Rivkin in a basement in Toronto in 1995. The first casino to license their games went live in 1996, and by the early 2000’s this company has expanded into offering a poker network, in addition to a wide range of casino games. They floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2003, and were valued at $400 million in the mid-2000s.
The UGIEA laws in the US had a big effect on Cryptologic, who were heavily reliant on US casinos and poker sites at the time. Their poker network closed down shortly afterwards. There were also some legal issues with Marvel, the comics and movie franchise – who turned to PlayTech to create their branded slots after initially offering these to Crypto.
Despite all of these setbacks, this company continued to create high quality casino slots and distinctive table games throughout. The move to in-browser games has now enabled many leading casino brands to add-on their games to existing portfolios.
In 2012, Cryptologic was acquired by industry giant Amaya. This has given new life to many of the slots titles, and has also seen the poker client resurface – albeit under a different brand name.
Cryptologic Slots – My Top 3 Games
There is a large portfolio of slots which has built up over the years at this software house. Many of these do look a little dated, however there are some real gems mixed in. While the slots look different to each other, there is a distinctive frame and way of spinning which lets you know you are playing on a Crypto game, you’ll see what I mean when you have played a few of the games.
A great example of a game which is not too intensive, yet a lot of fun to play is ‘Area 21’. This is a take on Area 51 and the aliens involved in that. The slot is colorful, with some happy looking aliens and planet symbols in addition to the usual cards. There are 25 win lines covering the 5 reels. What makes this old-school style slot stand out is the blackjack themed bonus round. This gives you the chance to double your free spins.
A more up to date game is Bejewled, which takes the theme from the many mobile games where you have to match different gems or colored candies. This is a 10 reel game, and gives you the chance to win 20,000x your line bet in a super jackpot (though only with the maximum bet).
There are several superhero themed games to choose from here, including a great Superman themed game, which comes complete with a big jackpot. This does not quite match up the latest superhero slots over at PlayTech, however is still looks and plays great.
Other Slots and Table Games at Cryptologic
There are too many titles to list them all in one short overview page, with a big focus being on the 5-reel video slots games. Other games that you might like to try out include 20000 Leagues, Treasure of Isis and the fun Sushi-Express.
Cryptologic table games look very distinctive, it is all in the slightly tilted top-down angle you look at the game from. This is a positive, these are very clear and playable casino games.
One thing that Amaya have introduced since their acquisition of Cryptologic is to package these games with the games of other software houses and offer these as complete packages to casino site operators. This means we can expect to see more Crypto slots and table games around in the future.
Mobile Compatibility at Cryptologic
This company was a pioneer in mobile technology, offering their games as a Java version before many of the other companies had this capability. You’ll find that all of the slots games now come in instant-play format, using Flash. There are not native apps available for these games at the time of writing.