Casinos have come a long way from the simple card & table games and the mechanical slots of the past. Those still exist, of course, and they are popular for more reasons than just nostalgia. But technology has allowed for more creative titles to appear at online casinos. In fact, you could argue that casino games have changed as much as video games in the last few decades.

But one facet of the industry that is riding the wave of technology to deliver better entertainment is the area of branded games. By that, we mean officially licensed games that use material from movies and tv shows and other bits of pop culture. A good example is The Goonies slot by Blueprint Gaming – a game that uses the characters, storyline and imagery from the smash-hit 80s movie.

In a sense, these branded games are almost like merchandise. And, it might surprise you to learn that several notable rock bands have got in on the act, creating official slots that use their imagery and, importantly, their music. But which are the best? Below we pick out five that seem to be most popular on the net right now:

Guns N’ Roses Video Slots – NetEnt

It will gratify you to know that this game is based on the rockers’ heyday and early work (Appetite for Destruction, Use Your Illusion), not the messy later stuff. As you might expect, the game is high-octane fun with plenty for GNR fans and casino players to enjoy alike. Several special features make the game exciting, including music bonuses that have fairly high ceilings when it comes to payouts.

Spinal Tap – Blueprint Gaming

Alright, so it’s not a real band, but the iconic mockumentary film is fine source material for a casino game. Blueprint’s calling card (as seen with The Goonies above) is to deliver casino titles that have so many fun features that it becomes easy to forget you’re playing a slot. The game is silly and exciting in equal measure, and you could spend months playing and still not discover all the features. The World Tour Bonus is a particular highlight.

Motorhead Video Slot – NetEnt

NetEnt is the king of music-themed slot developers, and it delivers again in spades with the ace Motorhead slot. Like Guns N’ Roses, this game is a high-octane thrill ride. Using original footage of Lemmy and co on stage, Motorhead has lots of music-themed bonuses and special features. The production value of the game is off the charts.

Twisted Sister – Play N’ Go

This game features some of Twisted Sister’s best hits, including I Wanna Rock, which acts as the slot’s main score. Twisted Sister is a unique game – as far away from classic ‘fruit’ slots as you can get. However, this is also a highly volatile game, meaning big cash prizes are on offer for relatively low stakes. Be aware, though: Volatile works both ways – you could lose a large wedge of cash without the game doing much.

Ozzy Osbourne Slots – NetEnt

Perhaps like the man himself, Ozzy Osbourne Slots tends to divide opinion. Some casino players love it, citing the special features and gameplay as the main highlights. The game doesn’t put as much effort into the graphics (no video footage of Ozzy on stage, for example) as the others on this list, but it still gets the tone right for a game based on The Prince of Darkness.