Gaming system and method of gaming

1. A method of gaming, comprising:

selecting symbols appearing in a game event;

storing the selected symbols in a symbol store arranged to store a plurality of symbols, the symbol store arranged such that, once a maximum number of symbols is reached, storage of a further symbol in the symbol store results in the removal of a stored symbol from the symbol store in accordance with a removal rule; and

determining whether the stored symbols meet an award criterion.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the symbol store is a First-In-First-Out (FIFO) symbol stack and the removal rule is that the first symbol added to the symbol stack is the first removed.

3. A method of gaming as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the symbols are selected at random from at least one of a base game and feature game.

4. A method of gaming as claimed in claim 3 , wherein at least one symbol is selected from each game of the base game and/or feature game.

5. A method of gaming as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the symbols are stored in the same order as which they are selected.

6. A method of gaming as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the award criterion is that a particular combination of symbols appears in the symbol store.

7. A method of gaming as claimed in claim 1 , wherein bonus credits and/or additional games are awarded responsive to the award criterion being met.

8. A method of gaming as claimed in claim 1 , comprising the further step of waiting until the maximum number of symbols has been reached before determining whether the award criterion has been met.

9. A method of gaming as claimed in claim 2 , comprising the further step of displaying the symbol store in association with the base game and/or feature game.

10. A method of gaming as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the symbols are selected from a plurality of symbols utilised in the game event for evaluating a winning outcome.

11. A game controller comprising:

a symbol store arranged to store a plurality of symbols, the symbol store arranged such that once a maximum number of symbols is reached, storage of a further symbol results in the removal of a stored symbol in accordance with a removal rule;

a symbol selector module arranged to select symbols appearing in a game event and to store the selected symbols in the symbol store; and

a determination module arranged to determine whether the stored symbols meet an award criterion.

12. A game controller as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the symbol store is a First-In-First-Out (FIFO) symbol stack and the removal rule is that the first symbol added to the symbol stack is the first removed.

13. A game controller as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the symbols are selected at random from at least one of a base game and feature game.

14. A game controller as claimed in claim 13 , wherein at least one symbol is selected from each game of the base game and/or feature game.

15. A game controller as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising an award module arranged to award a prize when the award criterion has been met.

16. A game controller as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the award module is arranged to award bonus credits and/or additional games responsive to the award criterion being met.

17. A game controller as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the award criterion is that a particular combination of symbols appears in the symbol store.

18. A game controller as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the determination module is arranged to wait until the maximum number of symbols has been reached before making the determination.

19. A game controller as claimed in claim 13 , further comprising a display module arranged to display the symbol store in association with the base game and/or feature game.

20. A game controller as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the game controller is constituted by a processor executing program code stored in a memory.

21. A gaming system comprising:

a game controller in accordance with claim 11 ; and

a display arranged to display the symbol store.

22. A controller for a gaming system comprising a plurality of gaming machines operable to participate in a shared game event, the controller comprising:

a symbol store arranged to store a plurality of symbols, the symbol store arranged such that once a maximum number of symbols is reached, storage of a further symbol results in a removal of a storage symbol in accordance with the removable symbol;

a symbol selector module arranged to select symbols resulting from play of the shared game event and to store the selected symbols in the symbol store; and

a determination module arranged to determine whether the stored symbols meet an award criterion.

23. A controller in accordance with claim 22 , wherein the shared game event comprises displaying a separate game on a display of each of the participating gaming machines and wherein the symbols are selected from the separate games.

24. A controller in accordance with claim 22 , wherein the gaming system is arranged to conduct the shared game event in response to a trigger event occurring in relation to play of a game on one of the gaming machines.

25. A controller in accordance with claim 22 , wherein the award criterion is that a particular symbol combination appears in the symbol store.

26. A game controller in accordance with claim 22 , further comprising an award module arranged to award a prize to at least one of the plurality of gaming devices when the award criterion has been met, according to a distribution rule.

27. A method of conducting a shared game event including two or more participating gaming machines, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting symbols resulting from play of the shared game event;

storing the selected symbols in a symbol store arranged to store a plurality of symbols, the symbol store arranged such that once a maximum number of symbols is reached, storage of a further symbol in the symbol store results in the removal of a stored symbol from the symbol store in accordance with a removal rule; and

determining whether the stored symbols meet an award criterion.

28. A computer readable medium including computer program code which when executed by a processor implements a method for gaming, the method comprising:

selecting symbols appearing in a game event;

storing the selected symbols in a symbol store arranged to store a plurality of symbols, the symbol store arranged such that, once a maximum number of symbols is reached, storage of a further symbol in the symbol store results in the removal of a stored symbol from the symbol store in accordance with a removal rule; and

determining whether the stored symbols meet an award criterion.