Not to be confused with Dragon (Interflip, EM, 1977).
This game has both solid state and electromechanical versions. This guide focuses primarily on the much more common solid state version. Differences in rules for the EM version are included at the end of the guide.
On the plunge, try to score the A lane. Bonus multiplier requires A-B-C-D in sequence: A alone gives 2x, A-B gives 3x, A-B-C gives 4x, A-B-C-D gives the full 5x. Shoot the orbit shot to get back to the top of the playfield from the left flipper if bonus is not maxed out at 19,000; if it is, shoot for the right vary target instead. Always shoot for the left vary target from the right flipper. Extra balls and specials are lit at the targets near the bumpers and upper left side lane respectively as indicated on the playfield bonus ladder.
Roll through a lit lane to unlight it and score 5,000 points. Unlit lanes score 500 points. Lanes give a bonus advance whether lit or not. Bonus multiplier looks at your progressive progress on A-B-C-D: just collecting A is 2x bonus, A+B is 3x, A+B+C is 4x, and all four letters is 5x. Lanes never relight, so the effective goal is just to complete the lanes once for 5x bonus. Letters can also be collected from the in/out lanes and the lit star rollovers within the right orbit.
One of the four star rollovers is always lit. Lit star rollovers score 5,000 points and spot you the corresponding letter if you don't have it already. Unlit star rollovers score 1,000 points. Which star rollover is lit cycles one step for each spin of the spinner.
All three of these features score 500 points and a bonus advance. If the current base bonus is 6,000 or 16,000 points, the upper left standup target will be lit for extra ball. At 7,000 and 17,000 base bonus, the upper left side lane is lit for a Special. At 8,000 and 18,000 base bonus, the upper right standup target is lit for extra ball.
The spinner scores 100 points, or 1,000 when lit. The spinner is lit for the rest of the ball after making a full shot to the vary target. The spinner is never a good source of points, even when lit, for two reasons: first, Gottlieb brand spinners of this era were notoriously bad about how well they spun, and second, if you hit the 500 point target behind the spinner, the game will prioritize counting off the target points, which usually takes long enough that the spinner will stop spinning in the process. Don't bother with this, unless that target behind the spinner is lit for extra ball.
The vary targets register 3 levels (naturally, 1, 2, and 3). A shot to the vary target scores 1,000, 2,000, or 3,000 points times the current bonus multiplier. It will also subtract 1, 2, or 3 steps of base bonus, although you can't drop below 1,000 base bonus. This serves as a partial bonus collect and also lets you decrease your current base bonus count to earn more opportunities at the extra ball and specials near the top of the playfield. Making a full (level 3) shot to either vary target at any time lights the spinner for 1,000 points per spin for the rest of the ball.
Dragon has a conventional in/out lane setup. In/out lanes give the letters in A-B-C-D, and score 5,000 points when lit or 500 when not lit just like the top lanes. Take not of how the two slingshots are vastly different sizes, and the top of the left slingshot is positioned well above the in/out lane dividing rail.
Bonus is advanced by top lanes, in/out lanes, upper standup targets, and the upper side lane. Bonus is collected, in a chunk of 1, 2, or 3 steps, by various strengths of shots to the vary targets. Bonus multiplier is determined by which A-B-C-D letters have been collected as described above. There is no base bonus or bonus multiplier carryover.
The max bonus multiplier is 2x, and only available by completing all of A-B-C-D. As far as I could tell, the 2x bonus is not given for free on the last ball.
The spinner always gives 100 points per spin. Every 5th spin of the spinner advances the bonus.
The spinner still rotates which star rollover in the right orbit is lit, but star rollovers all give 100 points, and the lit star rollover advances bonus instead. Letters can only be earned from top or in/out lanes.
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