"Oh no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast." Ok, so we know that's a quote from the original King Kong and not the remake that this game is based on, but it's still one of our favourites.

As well as being pretty beautiful, this slot has multiple game modes and plenty of ways for players to win. We think you're going to like it.

Kong: 8th Wonder of the World is based on Peter Jackson's movie adaptation of King Kong released in 2005, rather than the original 1933 film. Reel icons include images of the cast – Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody – as well as A, K, Q, J and 10, and the action is punctuated by footage from the movie.

One issue we have with some pokies titles is that the gameplay during standard play gets a bit repetitive. In that respect, Kong: 8th Wonder of the World has answered our prayers – there are two different game modes, one set in King Kong's jungle home and the other in 1930s New York City.

The differences to the gameplay in these modes are minimal, with different bonus rounds being triggered in each, but it's still a nice touch that helps to keep players guessing at what's around the corner.

Kong: 8th Wonder of the World is a bit of an anomaly. Despite having just 20 paylines, it feels like you go through spells of playing where you seem to win on virtually every spin.

True, a lot of these wins aren't very big, but it's still a nice feeling to get on a lucky streak. The game's jackpot isn't huge, so Kong probably has a fairly low variance.

There are several bonus rounds to enjoy, although we have to say that the free re-spin modes are pretty poor. The freezing wilds are a nice touch but players only get 3 free re-spins, which seems a bit stingy to us.

Even so, this is your best chance to line up 5 wild Kongs to hit the maximum jackpot of 3000x your line bet. Not enough to retire on by any means, but still a nice lump sum to be able to cash out.

There are some intriguing bonus features in Kong: 8th Wonder of the World, and the maximum jackpot is solid even though it's not life changing. However, the lack of a dedicated "X free spins with a 3x multiplier" type bonus round is a bit of a black mark against the game.

This is probably more one for those who enjoy slow and steady play over the course of several hours because the low variance means that you can, if you get lucky, gradually keep bumping up your bankroll. And with a maximum bet of several hundred AUD per spin, it's possible to do this on a large scale.

Kong: 8th Wonder of the World has plenty of good things going for it, and the varied game modes make it an ideal choice for pokies fans who get bored easily.

As remakes go, the 2005 film version of King Kong was actually pretty well-received by critics. So it's only fitting that this slot has plenty to offer as well – there are a couple of different bonus rounds, although there aren't any free spins with multipliers, and it feels easy to get on a streak when you're playing. With a jackpot of just a few thousand coins, there are more lucrative games out there but this game is still one that's fun to play. If you're the sort of player that likes to play for a long time, you could do a lot worse to check out this low variance title.