The almighty Avalon is back in this sequel to the original pokies title based on King Arthur's sword. However, much has changed – there are more bonus rounds, more ways to win and a bigger jackpot.

So, given the popularity of the original Avalon with Australian players, this must be a surefire hit, right? We decided it was time to find out.

While the original Avalon slot focused heavily on the Lady of the Lake, Avalon II brings the attention back to King Arthur. Specifically, his quest for the Holy Grail is the subject of this sequel.

The graphics of the game have come along leaps and bounds since the original Avalon, and Avalon II really does blow its predecessor out of the water in that department. There are some smooth win animations to enjoy and the background of a mystical forest compete with fireflies and a misty monument is actually quite soothing.

The only complaint we have visually is that the bright primary colours of the 9, 10, J, Q, K and A symbols clash a bit with the otherwise fairly muted colour scheme. That's hardly a huge problem though.

A haunting ethereal piece of classical music players over the action, which makes for some fine background listening if you're not the sort of person who likes to listen to their own music or watch TV while playing pokies.

The visuals and sounds aren't the only things to have improved in Avalon II. There are now, like in many other Microgaming titles, 243 ways to win. This is a vast improvement on the 20 paylines of the original Avalon slot.

The maximum jackpot has risen to 120,000 coins, which isn't bad considering the relatively low maximum bet of 7.50. But, even if you don't hit the big jackpot, you might get lucky in one of the game's many bonus rounds:

• Lake of Legend
• Misty Vale (extra wilds)
• Dusky Moors (matching mini-game)
• Hall of Shadows
• Isle of Avalon (Wheel of Fortune)
• Morgan's Keep
• Forest Falls
• Whispering Woods

Plus, Merlin will also pop up from time to time to award extra prizes. We're hard pressed to think of a game with more bonus rounds and mini-games on offer than Avalon II.

Unfortunately, there's a downside to all of that bonus action and the large number of ways to win. Although players will experience plenty of wins, the value of these is generally quite low; sometimes a line of four or five symbols doesn't even recoup the original bet.

The biggest advantage of Avalon II is the selection of different bonus games to try. Even though big wins in standard play aren't all that common, the bankroll doesn't go down too quickly when playing Avalon II thanks to bonus wins.

We think it's a vast improvement on the original, which was starting to look a bit out-of-date compared to newer, more modern slots. There's no progressive element, so you can always try it yourself in free play mode if you want to see how all those bonus rounds work in practice.

In our humble opinion, Avalon II is a big improvement on the original Avalon. The game has a huge range of bonus features, including in-reel extras, mini-games and dedicated rounds of free spins. This makes for a really diverse experience – Avalon II feels like a different game every time you play it! The maximum jackpot stands at over 100,000 coins, which is not too shabby, and Avalon's sequel is just as bright and colourful as the original title. It's not surprising to us that this King Arthur themed game is as popular today as it was when it was first released.