Books of Tao

Books of Tao comes from Dreamtech Gaming, a studio that built its reputation in Asian gaming markets before expanding into the wider European online casino scene, and this release applies that regional focus directly to the book-slot format — rather than another pyramid or desert tomb, the action plays out on a hazy mountainside pagoda, giving the game a distinctly different visual backdrop from most of its genre peers.

The core structure is a classic 5-reel, 10-payline layout, keeping the format approachable and easy to read at a glance. Symbol design follows the Taoist theme through and through: instead of card-suit royals, the low-value symbols are the five Taoist elements — wood, earth, water, fire and metal — while the premium symbols step up through a quill, jade, a gourd and a wise-man figure who stands out as the most valuable regular symbol on the reels, worth up to 250x stake for five of a kind (notably, he pays from just two matching symbols on a line rather than the usual three).

Books of Tao carries an RTP of 96.51%, a solid figure that sits comfortably above the 96% benchmark most book slots are measured against, giving players a genuine long-run edge over the wider genre average. That return comes wrapped in a high-volatility package though, so don't expect a steady drip of small wins — this is a game built to hold back between larger payouts, particularly once the expanding-symbol bonus feature that defines the "Book of" format gets involved.

Betting ranges from 0.20 up to a generous 200 per spin, noticeably wider than many slots in this category, which makes Books of Tao workable for both cautious low-stakes players and those looking to push higher volumes through the reels. A specific maximum win multiplier and exact hit frequency haven't been confirmed for this listing, so we're not attaching numbers to either.

Presentation-wise, the audio design is worth a mention before you dive in — the win-count chime is notably sharp, so it's worth easing off the headphone volume before you start spinning, though the underlying Chinese flute-and-drum soundtrack sets a fittingly dramatic tone for the theme. Visually, the pagoda backdrop does its job without being a showstopper — competent rather than spectacular, which is a fair summary of the game's presentation as a whole.

Mechanically, Books of Tao follows the "Book of" format's signature expanding-symbol bonus round closely, and that familiarity is by design — Dreamtech clearly understood that fans of this genre come for the reliable core loop first and the theme second, and built accordingly rather than trying to overcomplicate a formula that already works. The wide betting range means the game scales comfortably whether you're testing the waters at 20p a spin or pushing higher volumes toward the 200 ceiling.

If you're after a well-built, high-volatility book slot with a genuinely different visual identity from the genre's usual suspects, Books of Tao delivers. Test the wise man's expanding power in the free demo at johnessyslots before playing with real stakes.