These days, it's almost hard to image that just a few years ago, around the turn of the 21st century, the very best online casino slots were basic reels with the familiar playing card symbols on them. The reels spun, the symbols lined up, and if you won, perhaps a little song played in the background. The games might have been fun, but they lacked the technical innovation that other kinds of software had at the time.

Oh, how times have changed. Online slots now are richly detailed, rendered in 3D graphics, offer video cut scenes, feature stereo music and sound effects, and run more smoothly than some of the top video games out there. And instead of resting on their laurels, it seems like every week software developers are pushing the envelope and trying to outdo everything that has come before.

The latest online slot to make waves is the stunning After Night Falls slot machine game by BetSoft. The game follows in the fine tradition of casino robbery stories by following a police officer on a stakeout, hoping to catch a would-be thief. While the story might be a bit clichéd, the game itself is anything but.

The 3D graphics are incredibly detailed, lending the game a lifelike tone that sucks the player in. Sometimes you even forget that you are actually playing a slot machine. The game itself even has a developing story, something that BetSoft has tried to add to some of its other games that really makes them stand out from the pack. Of course, the win tables and bonus games are fantastic, and while the chance to win keeps players playing, it is the game's quality that keeps them coming back.