Patent ID: 8550896

Claim:
A gaming machine comprising a display and a game controller, the game controller being arranged to: select a plurality of symbols to be displayed in respective ones of a plurality of display positions arranged on the display, the plurality of symbols being selected from a set of symbols including at least one special symbol; play a game based on the selected symbols, wherein when a game outcome corresponds to a predefined winning outcome, the gaming machine is configured to award a prize, the predefined winning outcome comprising a predetermined pattern formed by a plurality of the selected symbols; wherein, when a special symbol is selected for display as part of the predefined winning outcomes, the special symbol substitutes as a plurality of the symbol displayed in at least one adjacent display position such that the predefined winning outcome that the special symbol is displayed as part of is enhanced; and wherein each predefined winning outcome comprises a maximum number of symbols such that the substitution of the special symbol is limited by the maximum number of symbols.