manufacturers. Midway's Battle
Shark led the gun parade in
originality. This was a scaled down
version of a big screen game in 76.
A rear-projected moving picture
scene of racing P. T. boats compos-
ed the target for a rapid-fire cannon .
A hit caused the boat to explode in
flames . The game is still a bit
expensive, and the "hit" period is
too short.
13. Sharon agreed that Wico has
the best handout material: a big,
cold Delicious apple. Can 't beat
'em.
14. Besides the gun proliferation,
a couple of other themes have
emerged as we peruse the 77
offerings. Just as two years ago so
many manufacturers tried to ride the
great white shark of " Jaws" to high
profits (and none went over super
big) , this show it is "Star Wars" and
outer space . (Atari 's Starship I
seemed best here .) The other
apparent copycat syndrome was
represented by the preponderance
of " Sea Wolfe type" target games.
Be it destroyers dropping depth
charges or guns firing missiles and
shells, all the targets move hori-
zontally at various speeds and point
totals. Hey, EE graduates, those
targets could move vertically or
flash on at random locations too
couldn 't they? Just asking ...
15. Fresh approaches and uses of
electro-mechanical
components
ARE possible, and a small company
doing the best job is Americoin. Last
yea r it was Junkyard; this time
Dozer stole my allegiance . Every
kid , including those that shave and
read Playboy, is going to want to
drive a powerful-looking bulldozer
around the gravel pit and see how
many tons they can move. Realistic
sound , controls you want to grab,
Dan Winter's boys have done it
again.
16. Atari's exhibit exhudes class.
Unlimited capital makes it easier to
look classy. Machine flyers are
neatly packaged for your conve-
nience in a folder . A strong phalanx
of games with Starship I, Super
Bug, and Canyon Bomber leading
the way. Look for Canyon Bomber
to be this year's Breakout. Wanted
to ask an Atari rep how come Atari
puts out all these great driving
games with 4-speed shifts . And
then in the shift mechanism they
use four little soft aluminum pins
which flatten out after about 50
games or the first rain storm,
whichever comes first, and every
operator has to go to work replacing
PLA Y METER, December, 19n
them with sawed-off nails (that last
the life of the game). I was going to
ask an Atari rep that but I didn't see
anyone with dirt under their finger-
nails so I wasn't sure they'd
understand.
17. Funniest game . I mean,
funny, ha, ha , outloud , funny game
was Exidy's Circus. Not impressive
by cabinet or first glance at screen,
but start the game and try not to
laugh! How can I explain this? I
can't. You ' ll have to get one and go
bananas yourself. The sound effects
w ith the action depicted is perfect .
Warning : you 're going to break up .
Sharon's favorite.
18. Meadows, whose 3-D Bowl-
ing is a fine piece, coupled it with
what I call " a tortured theme. "
Inferno is a video game whose
object is for the players to put out
fires which appear randomly on the
screen . The game idea is perhaps
too forced to do extremely well, but
I want to give Meadows credit for
the random target approach . Simply
needs a better format .
19. The Continental Room was a
plush addition to the show facilities
w ith softer lighting and cozier
atmosphere . But how did they get a
trolley car in there? The Magic
Trolley is a game room on wheels
developed by Mobile Amusement
Engineering and was qu ite an
impressive display.
20 . But Gottlieb took the interior
decorators award . " What's new is
Blue!" was its motif, and they
weren 't kidding . It may have been
its maiden appearance, but Gottlieb
did it up right with deep blue shag
carpeting on the floor and walls to
match the digital read-outs of their
solid-state Cleopatra .
21 . Ambling along the exhibits I
came face-to-face with an off beat
game called Mole Hunter. It took up
plenty of room, was shaped in a
semi-circle, the player standing in
the center with a giant padded
hammer. From the artificial green
surface surrounding the player,
brown hairy mole heads popped
from holes. The player was to strike
t hem as quickly as possible for a
high score . Now, I repeat, I think we
continue to need non-video games.
But Mole Hunter? Sorry, fellows .
22. How about an indoor golf
course? They had it . A guy from
International Indoor Golf begged me
to try it so I obliged by shanking one
over into the Ramtek booth where it
ricocheted off an M-79 Ambush ,
which is an excellent game, by the
way. I've had one in my arcade for
over a month so I can attest to its
drawing power. My version is the
large cabinet . A new, smaller
machine seems to be on the way
which should make it more attrac-
tive to the average operator.
23. Lots of flashing lights and
chrome metal. What is it? Test your
strength, said the salesman at the
Skyhigh Amusement of Canada
LTD booth . I kicked the soccer ball
as directed and embarassed myself
in front of the w ife . And damn near
broke my foot . I squeezed the horns
on The Bull and he hardly snorted.
I' m a lover, not a fighter I said to
Sharon as we walked away. She
snorted louder than The Bull.
24. PLAY METER 's booth was
being manned by David Pierson and
Robin Minnear. I knew it was the
PLAY METER booth when I saw
them cutting out paper dolls. They
explained such aberrations were due
to their close proximity to PSE's
display with its popular - but loud -
Desert Patrol gun. Actually I was
once again impressed by the
Southerners . You know, we Iowa
natives bel ieve that anyone who
lives below Missouri runs around all
night in a Ku Klux Klan sheet and
wears shoes only on Sunday. Here I
come to discover that David is a
former English teacher like myself,
and Robin, the resident technical
expert, talks in logarithms. To
cement our relationship , David had
on hand the check for my last
article. My kind of cement.
25. Don't tell Garland Garrett, Sr.
this, but I didn 't attend the
afternoon seminar. Sharon and I
went to the races at Hawthorne, our
first thoroughbred experience after
becoming addicted to the trotters
th is past summer. God punishes
those who skip the seminar. Won 't
reveal my losses but now I know
how those Moles felt when the
hammer landed.
26. On the way home Sharon
pulled out a little red cellophane bag
containing two pellets that were
being dispensed at the Bally booths.
White lettering on the package said ,
" Bally: We Grow As The World
Plays." What are they, I asked . We
debated . They' re seeds, I conclud-
ed. Sharon said, they're candy. Eat
one, I said . You first, she answered .
I finally got brave . I don't know the
answer for sure . It tasted like
chocolate, but I might be pregnant
with a solid-state pinball .
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