Most gladiator pokies try to feel epic through artwork alone. Spartacus Gladiator of Rome by WMS? It just goes bigger. Literally. You get two reel sets running side by side: your standard 5 x 4 grid, and then this absolutely massive 5 x 12 “Colossal” grid towering next to it. They both spin together every time. That’s it. That’s the hook—and honestly, it’s why people still talk about this game years later.
I’ve played it with real money at a casino, and here’s what stuck with me: I kept staring at the right side of the screen. Once you get that the two grids are actually linked, a symbol on the main reels isn’t just… one symbol anymore. It might have this huge version sitting on the Colossal side. Not complicated, but it completely changes how you watch each spin unfold.
Quick note: this review’s about the original Spartacus Gladiator of Rome with Colossal Reels. Not the later versions—Super Colossal Reels, Call to Arms, all those—which mess with the formula in different ways. You can try the Spartacus demo free on WinPockets if you want to see how this two-grid thing actually works before committing any cash.
How to Play Spartacus
1. Set your stake. Controls are pretty standard WMS stuff. Pick your total stake—it covers paylines across both reel sets automatically.
2. Spin both grids at once. Hit spin, and the 5 x 4 main set plus the 5 x 12 Colossal set turn together. You’re not choosing between them. Every spin uses both.
3. Collect wins from both sides. Wins can hit on either grid. They get added together.
4. Watch for Wilds and Bonus symbols.
5. Expect the bonus to lean heavily on the Colossal side. Those Colossal reels? They matter way more during free spins, because that’s when oversized Wilds really show up.
If you’re new to this, stop thinking of it as two separate games. I found it way easier to scan the main grid first, then quickly check if anything big landed on the Colossal side. Saves your brain some work.
Gameplay & Winning Combinations
Spartacus runs 100 fixed paylines spread across both reel sets. Standard line pokie rules apply: matching symbols on a payline, left to right, consecutive reels.
The Colossal set is where things get interesting mathematically. With 12 rows on that right-hand grid, symbols can land as huge blocks covering multiple positions at once. So one oversized symbol? It can sit across several paylines simultaneously.
That’s why a spin that looks dead on the main reels can still pay decently. The bigger grid did the heavy lifting.
Takes a few spins to adjust your eyes, honestly. You’re scanning 20 positions on one side, 60 on the other. Not confusing exactly, just… busier than your typical 5 x 3 pokie. Worth watching a few win animations in the demo to see which lines are actually paying.
Symbols
The paytable follows a pretty familiar split between themed symbols and lower-value filler.
Premium symbols
Lower-paying symbols
Special symbols
To be completely honest? I paid way more attention to the Wild than any character symbol. In a Colossal Reels game, one big Wild can influence more of the screen than a premium symbol ever could. That’s where the real value comes from.
Exact payout values shift with your stake. The in-game paytable (which you can open in the demo) is your best bet for checking them.
Colossal Reels
Trigger: Always active. It’s literally the game.
Mechanic: The 5 x 4 main set and 5 x 12 Colossal set spin simultaneously. Both covered by the game’s 100 paylines.
Effect: Large symbol blocks on the Colossal grid can cover multiple positions and paylines, giving you a second potential win source every spin.
This is the game’s entire identity, not some tacked-on feature. I appreciate that WMS built everything around one clear idea instead of throwing in random mini-features. Downside? The base game can feel a bit repetitive once the novelty of the second grid fades.
Colossal Wilds
Trigger: The Spartacus Wild landing in oversized form on the Colossal reels.
Mechanic: Instead of filling just one position, the Wild takes up a large block of the 5 x 12 grid.
Effect: Because it covers so many positions at once, one Colossal Wild can complete several paylines on the same spin.
For me, this mechanic does most of the heavy lifting. Watching a Colossal Wild settle across the right-hand grid? That’s when the game’s design actually delivers visually.
Free Spins Bonus
Trigger: Landing the required Bonus symbols during a paid spin.
Mechanic: You get a set of free spins played on both reel sets, with the Colossal Wilds feature active. Free spins can retrigger.
Effect: The bonus doesn’t introduce anything new. It just concentrates the Colossal Reels and Wild mechanics into a run of spins that don’t cost you anything extra.
What I like here is the continuity—the bonus is basically the base game with the good parts amplified. If you were hoping for a pick-and-click round or some progressive multiplier trail, you won’t find it. This is straightforward free spins that lean on the reel layout.
The exact award and retrigger rules are in the game’s help screens. Worth reading in the demo before you play for real.
RTP & Volatility
The most commonly cited RTP for Spartacus Gladiator of Rome is 95.92%—some sites round it to 96%. Either way, it’s a theoretical return calculated over millions of spins. Not a guide to what happens in your session. It also sits slightly below the 96%+ many newer online pokies advertise, though the difference isn’t huge for casual play.
Volatility’s generally listed as medium. In practice, that describes a design where returns are spread between the base game and bonus, rather than being concentrated in rare massive hits.
That profile fits the Colossal Reels concept pretty well. The second grid gives the base game a real way to produce decent wins, so the free spins aren’t carrying the entire game alone. Sensible balance for a pokie of this era. Reasonable pick if extreme swings aren’t your thing.
Maximum Win
I couldn’t confirm an official maximum win multiplier for Spartacus from the provider. The figures quoted by secondary sites don’t agree closely enough to state one with confidence.
What’s clear from the design is where top-end potential comes from. The biggest results happen when Colossal Wilds cover large chunks of the 5 x 12 grid, especially during free spins—combining with premium symbols across many of those 100 paylines.
Whatever the ceiling is, treat it as a theoretical limit rather than something the game regularly delivers. This isn’t a pokie marketed around huge max-win multipliers the way many modern high-volatility releases are.
Theme, Graphics & Sound
The setting is the Roman arena. Spartacus front and centre as the rebel gladiator. Nothing unexpected about the theme itself—Ancient Rome and gladiators are well-worn pokie territory, and WMS doesn’t reinvent them here.
Where the presentation works is the layout. Two grids side by side, with the Colossal set noticeably taller, make the game instantly recognisable. The theme and mechanic support each other: a game about a larger-than-life gladiator with larger-than-life reels actually makes sense.
Visually, it shows its age. The artwork has that slightly glossy, land-based-cabinet look common to WMS titles from this period. Less polished than current releases. Didn’t bother me though, because the Colossal Wilds are easy to spot and the screen stays readable despite all those positions.
The audio leans towards dramatic arena-style atmosphere. Functional, but not something I’d single out as a reason to play.
Play Spartacus on Mobile
The WMS online version runs in the browser, so you can open it on a phone or tablet without a separate app.
One game-specific point worth raising: screen space. Fitting a 5 x 4 grid and a 5 x 12 grid onto a phone makes the symbols smaller than on a standard pokie. Turning your device to landscape gives both reel sets more room.
If you’re unsure how readable it’ll be on your device, the WinPockets demo’s an easy way to check.
Our Verdict
Spartacus is a one-idea pokie. But it’s a good idea, executed cleanly. The Colossal Reels setup gives every spin two layers, and the Colossal Wilds are the clear focal point. Oversized Wilds can cover a large block of the right-hand grid and link up paylines in ways a standard 5 x 3 game simply can’t.
What it does well
Where it’s less convincing
Who it suits
Who might pass
If Colossal Reels are new to you, the free demo’s the quickest way to judge whether the two-grid setup clicks for you.
