300 is the 4-player version of this game. Top Score is the 2-player version. Both have identical rules and scoring.
Build bonus at any lit lane on the playfield, the spinner, or the Mystery Advance hole. When bonus is maxed at 10,000 points, collect it at the leftmost upper saucer to build it again. Bonus is depicted by the racked bowling balls in the backglass.
There are two...but also sort of three. The two on the right that look like conventional lanes always score 500 points and a bonus advance. To the left of the lanes is a wider gap with a star rollover target that reads "Lites Special Target when lit". The star rollover is only lit at the beginning of the ball and lights the upper right standup target for Special, but the special un-lights itself if any 100 point switch is hit. Special scores no points, so going for this is extremely pointless in competition play, but even in casual play this requires foregoing a free bonus advance, hoping the ball doesn't hit a bumper on the way down, and then having one chance to make a very difficult shot. Don't bother.
No points for going through the horseshot directly, but both saucers give pretty good awards.
The left exit has a saucer that reads "1000 and Scores Bonus". Hitting this saucer scores and drains the entire bonus, as advertised. Maximum base bonus in this game is 10,000 points; advances when the bonus is full do nothing, so it's very important to get the ball in this saucer at that point. When the bonus is multiplied on ball 5 of a 5-ball game or on balls 2 and 3 of a 3-ball game, this saucer does score the full collect, including the multiplier.
The right exit has a saucer that reads Adds Mystery Bonus. Landing in this saucer will score 500 points and a bonus advance either 1, 2, or 3 times "randomly". I believe the mystery is based on the number of 10-point switches hit by all players in the game so far.
Scores 500 points, as well as one bonus advance when lit. Also opens the right gate, which funnels a ball going down the right outlane into the plunger lane one time. Very difficult if not impossible to shoot directly, but always nice to have, so try to nudge the ball in here if it's nearby.
All lanes score 500 points, and a bonus advance when lit. Which lanes are lit always alternate from layer to layer. Posts throughout the entire lane structure make it possible to nudge the ball from one lane to the other. Going through the waterfall spits the ball out into the in/out lane setup, described in further detail below. Lit lanes alternate whenever the spinner is hit.
Each spin scores 10 points. Every 5th spin scores 500 points and a bonus advance. Each spin also alternates which waterfall lanes (mentioned above) and which standup targets (mentioned below) are lit.
If it's not safe to shoot for the waterfall for any reason, or if the lit lanes in the waterfall are set up in such a way that it would be difficult to actually score the bonus advances, the spinner is the best thing to shoot for from the left flipper.
There are four: one on the left, and three on the right aligning with the waterfall lanes. Targets score 500 points, and two of them are lit for a bonus advance. Which ones are lit for bonus advance alternates with spinner hits.
At the beginning of the game, the upper right standup can be lit for special by plunging to the top star rollover, but that rollover and the special itself unlight as soon as any 100 point switch is hit.
The left in lane/out lane structure is conventional. There is a gap in the rail separating the in and out lanes on the right side. A ball going down the right out lane can be nudged back into play off the post, but conversely, an attempt to catch the ball on the right flipper could roll back into this gap and drain. Be willing to dead bounce the ball off the right flipper to prevent this.
Above the right out lane is a gate that can be opened by going through the left side lane. This can be used once to divert a right out lane ball back into the plunger lane.
All lanes give 500 points. Out lanes always give 1 bonus advance; in lanes only do so when lit.
Maximum base bonus is 10,000 points. When the bonus is full, it must be collected at the leftmost top saucer, or nothing beyond the regular 500 points will be given for any advances.
Bonus multipliers are given for free based on the ball number, but cannot be scored from anything on the playfield. In 5 ball play, bonus is doubled on ball 5; in 3 ball play, bonus is multiplied by the current ball number. The collect saucer scores the full bonus, including any multipliers.
Bonus count and the current spinner position are not carried from ball to ball.
On 3 ball play, the center spinner scores 100 points per spin instead of 10. This makes it even more lucrative as a scoring option, perhaps even more so than shooting for the waterfall from the left flipper if it spins well.
A significant number of targets and switches in this game give 500 points. While the game is counting these 500 points, pretty much all scoring lights on the playfield will turn off. This is normal, and gives a visual indicator for when something else can be scored and actually count, due to the slow motor scoring used by this game and all other electromechanical games.
There is no 100,000 light or indicator on this game. Rolling the score over is difficult, especially on 3 ball play, but not entirely unheard of.
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