Heat Engine

Manufacturer: Konami Gaming
Platform: Advantage Revolution
Format: Three-reel, single-line stepper/video hybrid
Denomination: .01
Max Bet: 35, 60, 85, 110, 135, 210, 260
Top Award: Progressive; $700 reset
Hit Frequency: 63.17%
Theoretical Hold: 9.25%

This is one of Konami’s first games in the innovative “Advantage Revolution” cabinet, developed by Konami Gaming in conjunction with Konami Digital Entertainment, the slot-maker’s home-amusement sister company. The cabinet features a revolving middle section that switches from three mechanical reels to a mechanical wheel to an LCD screen.

The reel box sits on a vertical axis and rotates during the bonus round and in the attract mode. The three different playareas are used to create a variety of bonus game options.

When the LCD screen is in front, for instance, it is synchronized with the LCD in the top box for bonus events.

Heat Engine features six different bonus events. At the end of any primary reel spin, a “Second Chance” event can be triggered randomly. The middle reel re-spins to either a green or red locomotive. The green locomotive awards five credits times the total bet. The green locomotive randomly triggers one of three other bonus events-“Big Money Feature,” “Fire Wheel Feature” or “Blazing Reel Feature.”

The locomotive symbols can also land during a regular reel spin to trigger one of the bonuses. Big Money Feature displays a wheel of red, blue and green lights, and an arrow spins around the lights and stops on one to award a bonus amount. When it is hit on a Second Chance event, the arrow can also stop on one of four progressive jackpots.

Fire Wheel Feature displays a wheel with either six or 10 segments. The player presses a button to spin the wheel, which either stops on an award position or “Big Money Feature,” which triggers the other bonus.

The Blazing Reel Feature displays a set of reels which spin either to a straight credit amount, one of three other bonuses, or a free-spin sequence. During the free-spin sequence, certain reels become wild, and multipliers are awarded.

There is a separate free-spin bonus as well, which awards five free spins with the possibility to re-trigger the event withinthe spins.