Patent ID: 6939228

Claim:
A gaming machine comprising: a display having a grid of cells; a first plurality of game elements; a controller for initiating a normal random display of said first plurality of game elements; a display processor for displaying the normal random display of said first plurality of game elements such that one of said first plurality of game elements is displayed in each of said cells; a second plurality of game elements; said controller being programmed for initiating a bonus random display of said second plurality of game elements in response to a triggering combination of said first plurality of game elements in the normal random display; said display processor being programmed for displaying the bonus random display of said second plurality of game elements such that the one of said first plurality of game elements displayed in each of said cells in the normal random display is replaced with one of said second plurality of game elements; and said controller being programmed for activating a bonus character to move along said grid of cells and designate at least one of said cells in said grid as a wild cell independent of a game element in said wild cell in response to initiating the bonus random display and while said first plurality of game elements are being replaced with said second plurality of game elements.