As soon as you enter the Bingo Nation site, you will have access to all of the site's functionality and games at your fingertips. With its bright coloured design in gold (putting you in the mood to play) and simple to use interface, this new site certainly creates a good first impression. Importantly, in this day and age, you are reassured right away as to the safety of your personal details with modern secure technology visibly in place. Signing up is made very easy too – the whole process should only take a few minutes.

Newcomers are immediately offered a whole host of special incentives for joining. Firstly, it is free to try with a £1 deposit given to all new sign-ups (with no cash deposit needed at that time). If you like the site and wish to make a deposit, Bingo Nation promise to match your first deposit by 100% up to £250 with a 'cash match bonus'. Thus a £50 deposit turns into a £100 deposit, with a maximum of £500. The site also offers special promotional games on top of the usual games, such as cash cow and piggy bank jackpot and bingo linx.

Once you log into the site, things become still more impressive. After registration, you are taken to a separate page with graphics comparable to those of a video game. This is provided by 'Virtue Fusion software' and it makes the site far more interactive – rivalling the concept of playing the real thing. On this page, you will see a wide-ranging choice of games to play, such as 90 ball, 80 ball and 75 ball bingo, with details of each particular game displayed allowing you to choose according to your personal preferences. It is easy to see when each games starts, the total prize money, ticket prices, the number of players involved at the time and the maximum number of tickets left for purchase. There are also special games on offer, such as marine mayhem, joker jackpot and speed bingo.

The pages where you play bingo itself don't disappoint. Everything is very colourful (here decorated in red and blue), interactive and simple to understand for a first-timer. Two features immediately catch the eye and are worth mentioning. The first is the chat box, consistent with most current online game sites. Here you can interact with your fellow players – for advice, help or just for general small-talk. It even includes a buddy list to help you to easily find any friends you may make. The second feature is the ability to purchase your own ticket. Many people would assume that you were allocated a ticket at random, but with this site you have a choice of tickets, giving that all-important feeling of having your luck in your own hands and not in those of a faceless computer. In addition, you are not restricted to one ticket – the only restriction is your balance and the number of tickets available.

In addition to the standard winnings on offer, there are also special jackpot wins connected to selected games (which is where the cash cow and the piggy bank jackpots come into play). The cash cow jackpot, a new feature to the site, is an accumulating prize which can be won by any player getting a full house in fewer than 34 balls. At the point of writing, the cash cow stands at £11,580. The piggy bank is similar; it offers a fixed £1000 prize if you manage to get a full house in under 40 balls.

As with most modern gaming sites, bingo is not the only game you can play here (although it is the main focal point). If you want a break from bingo, you have the opportunity to play blackjack or roulette. There are also a whole host of slot games to play (with names such as Clover Rollover, Pet Luck and Marine Mayhem) as well as virtual scratch cards.

Overall, the impression of the site is highly positive. The look and feel is attractive and the variety of activities on offer is bound to appeal to a wide range of players. Even if you have never played bingo before, the design and the free trial makes it simple to just dive in and have fun if nothing else. So, if you find yourself bored on a rainy day, this site can go a long way in keeping you entertained.