Play Meter

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angles for nudgers, and wide return
lanes on either side afford go skill
shots . Roll-overs add more flavor
giving my mind to wander back to
Delta Queen and its right return
lane. There is also a difference to
the right side Italian bottom which
Allied Leisure's Dyn 0' Mite uses,
allowing the ball to roll back down
to the flipper instead of being lost if
the player is hitting the right spots.
In terms of play, the action off the
flippers is fluid and very smooth. I
thoroughly enjoyed playing this
game, plus it incorporated one of
my favorite features--drop targets--
ih a highly effective way. There is
also a certain amount of "give"
inherent in the playfield which
allows the player to really get
involved with the action.
Hats off to the artwork and a major
thanks to Dave Christenson for
what he has accomplished. The
mirrored back glass is alive and it's
not just the Elton John image that
makes the whole thing work--there
are some great subtle touches with
thesurrounding scene that are no-
thing less than extraordinary .
Pinball art lives and even Roy Parker
must be glad to know that Dave is
carrying on in the noble tradition of
exciting graphics for pinball ma-
chines.
Rating : ####
Bally's OLD CHICAGO
Another summer addition is this
four-player that gives the pin bailer a
little bit of everything. There's a
spinner, drop targets,
kick-out
holes, thumper bumpers and so very
good playing angles . Jim Patla has
once again given a semi-tribute to
one of his favorite games, Jack-
In-The-Box, with the addition of the
bottom thumper bumper and flipper
arrangement, which allows for more
nudging and cajoling of the ball.
With things to aim at on all sides of
the playfield, we have a good,
equally balanced game to play . The
drop targets are a bit difficult to
reach on straight shots from the left
flipper, but the angle of the opposite
kicker lets even the average player
have a chance at getting all the
targets down. The spinner with its
increasing value determined by the
number of revolutions helps to add
; bonus points as well as giving more
meaning to this right flipper shot .
~ In terms of artwork, Dave C. has
t made Dillinger look like a cross
54
between Warren Bea tty and Ronald
Coleman for a very effective pose .
And the women are luscious for the
discerning eye of a competing
player whose turn at the flippers is
yet to come .
Rating : ###
Williams' AZTEC
Since Space Mission has already
hit the scene and has shown its
worth out on location, it may be
more advantageous to look ahead to
this four-player which I saw in
whitewood at the factory , then on
test in Belgium . The structured
playfield is a departure from the
wide open spaces of Mission and
offers some good skill shots . The
right collect bonus area is reminis-
cent of Bally's Mariner and fits
nicely into the total design. On the
left is a spinner lane which increases
in value much like Wizard and
Space Mission . The rest of the
important areas to notice are the
targets on either side at the middle
of the playfield , as well as the center
target . They supply a good range
for the above average player, espe-
cially since this, like other Williams
games, is a fast playing machine .
The scoring system begins where
Blue Chip (a single player game) left
off. Six digits means that " turning
the machine" will cost the player a
lot of effort and also a million points.
But the out-hole bonus ringing
slowly off the thousands should
please even the staunchest pinball
phenom .
There is a perverse
pleasure in standing there and
listening to the sounds, knowing
that you 've done well and others are
bound to hear the results. The play
is smooth , quick and challenging .
The artwork on Aztec is a big
disappointment though, and I know
that Ad Poster can do better. The
colors are uneven and the renditions
of old Indians don 't really make it. If
the mind were lett to wander,
images far more striking would
surely appear.
Rating : ## Y:z (The game would
get a three except for the artwork.)
Chicago Coin's CINEMA (two-play-
er version HOLL YWOOD)
I have a soft spot in my heart for
Chicago Coin games only because
they try so hard . Sometimes they
even succeed and lately this has
been the case . Red Baron and its
four-player counterpart Blue Max
were sound playing games . With
Cinema we are given a new feature ,
the multi-kick-out hole--and for the
layout of the game it works splen-
didly. The " feel " of the game is a
little loose, but there is enough to
hold player interest .
The four drop targets at either side
of the mid-playfield offer a good
area for the skilled shot, and the
center kick-out hole area is remark-
ably hard to hit consistently . The
reason for this may be a conscious
effort to frustrate players, but it
stems in part to the tlipper configu-
ration that is so prevalent on
Chicago Coin 's recent pinball ef-
forts . The angle of the flipper has
been cut down proportionately to its
nearly horizontal alignment. If you
notice on most games the flippers
are set at a deeper angle, usually
pointing down toward the out-hole .
On Cinema this isn 't the case and
could be a hindrance to less skillful
players who can't adapt to the
change in flipper range and power .
In my estimation the game might
even be better if the flippers were
set in a more conventional manner .
Who knows? Anyway , for the rest
of the game you ' ll find that th e left
return-to-the-top lane is harder to
reach than usual but the formation
of the bumpers makes this a wound
that is easily healed for the average
player.
Another good aspect of Cinema is
the advance roll-overs at either side
of the center kick-out hole area .
Th ey supply an easy way to gain
points and can also alter the course
of some balls destined for the
out-hole.
The artwork of Cinema is okay,
but look at what Flicker (by Sally)
accomplished in the same genre,
Somehow there can be more spark-
le and life to the setting, but the
game does fall into the pattern of
Red Baron . A word ()f caut i()n
though : Sound Stage which I'll
review next m()nth , if the gods are
w illing, gives Chicago Coin gome
good , strong graphics and a very
pretty girl as well -- c()ngrat! t o
George M . at Ad Poster for the
su ccessful effort .
Rating : ## Y:z
That my friends is the first effort of
yours t ruly to review the pinball
machines flooding the summer mar-
kets. Your c()mments are welcome.
Until next mortth take care and keep
those machines running smoot hly
and efficiently. Enjoy the quartersl