Maybe it's because of the gold rush being a good analogy for slots or the popularity of cowboy films among gamblers, but the Wild West certainly seems to be a popular setting for pokies. Dead Or Alive is a simple, no frills game that tries to capture some of that magic.

In this review we look to find out whether or not there's any room for more Western themed pokies titles in an already crowded niche.

As we've already mentioned above, Dead Or Alive features a cowboy theme. There's no cinematic intro or storyline, or twist on the 5-reel format, which is surprising considering that this is a NetEnt slot. It seems that this is one of the rare occasions on which NetEnt has decided to keep things pretty traditional.

Reel icons are your typical Western fare – shot glasses full of whiskey, cowboy boots and ten gallon hats. It all looks nice enough, but there's not much in the way of animations except for when wilds or scatters are involved.

The bonus round transports players to a raucous saloon that's very evocative and, since this is where you'll rack up the most cash, you'll be wanting to spend as much time here as possible!

Other sound effects include catchy piano trills, six shooters being cocked and whips cracking. It's very atmospheric, but the overuse of *that* cowboy whistle means you'll probably end up muting the whole thing.

First things first, Dead Or Alive has just 9 lines. This makes it a pretty good bridge to 5-reel slots for those who are used to playing 3-reel slots or fruit machines but, for everyone else, it will probably come as a bit of a disappointment.

It can be frustrating seeing the result of spins and being sure that there should be a win there but, because of the lack of the lines, you come away with nothing. What's more, the low number of lines means that wins can be few and far between.

The bonus round features both free spins and sticky wilds, with extra free spins being triggered by the appearance of more wilds, and probably represents the best chance for players to make some serious cash. In fact, the maximum jackpot in this round is worth tens of thousands of AUD.

To be truthful, there isn't all that much to keep you coming back to Dead Or Alive except for a bonus round that can be very rewarding. Unfortunately, you can often go a long time without being lucky enough to trigger it.

With just 9 lines to keep you going in the meantime, you may find yourself getting bored of Dead Or Alive. That's not to say that it's a bad slot, as players who think that modern pokies have gotten too complicated or don't see the need for interactive mini-games and fancy intro movies will probably love it.

However, we just can't see enough in the way of added value to keep players coming back time after time.

With just 9 paylines but a fairly respectable jackpot, Dead Or Alive is a high variance cowboy themed slot that only really comes to life in the bonus round. Unfortunately, you might have to play for quite a while before you actually trigger one. The sound effects can be a bit grating and, while they look nice enough, the graphics don't really do enough to separate the game from other similar titles on the market. Because of its simplicity, this slot is quite well-suited to players who like to be able to see quickly and easily where their wins come from and don't need a lot of frills or fancy animations.