Not to be confused with Flash Gordon (Bally, 1981).
At the beginning of a ball, always try to complete the left 5-bank of targets once to light the spinner. After that, it's spinner all day. The center 3-bank and lower standup targets are too risky to be viable, and the right saucer is overshadowed by the spinner (unless extra balls are on; EB is lit at the saucer after two 5-bank completions). Bonus multiplier comes from the top lanes: 1-2-3 for 2x, 1-2-3-4 for 3x.
The lanes are labelled 1, 2, 3, and 4 from left to right; going through them awards 1,000 - 2,000 - 3,000 - 4,000 points respectively, and also lights the corresponding number. Any lane also awards 1 bonus advance. Lighting 1-2-3 awards 2x bonus, and lighting 1-2-3-4 awards 3x bonus. The numbers themselves never unlight mid ball, even once completed, and they will only unlight between balls if one of the multiplier combinations was completed (1-2-4 will carry over, for example).
The outermost lane scores 1,000 points or 3,000 when lit, and can only reliably be shot on the plunge or from the upper right flipper. The other lane scores 1,000 points or 5,000 when lit, and is best shot from the lower right flipper. Both lanes are lit after one completion of the 5-bank of drop targets.
Note that there are no one-way gates on either side of the 1-2-3-4 lanes area, so going through the upper left lanes can loop around and come down the spinner lane on the right side. This happens more often with the outer of the two, but can happen with both.
The star rollovers score 100 points each, and the spinner scores 100/spin, when not lit. Both values increase to 1,000 points when lit; these features are also lit by one completion of the drop target 5-bank. Shooting the spinner can put the ball into the 1-2-3-4 lanes, but a strong shot will act more like an orbit, sending the ball all the way around the upper loop, coming down the outermost upper left lane and usually ending up on the right flipper. The spinner is the safest source of decent points in this game once lit, but when aiming for it, be sure not to accidentally shoot at the tip of the upper right flipper, which will serve as a rather unforgiving brick post.
Each target down scores 1,000 points when not lit, or 3,000 when lit. One target will always be lit, as indicated by a moving red arrow. Completions of this bank give the following awards:
The points here are tempting, but it just takes too many shots to a somewhat risky center target bank to make this worthwhile. Stick to the spinners. Even if extra balls are on, it's better to pick one up by completing the 5-bank twice and shooting this saucer than it is to go for this center bank 5 times.
Each target down advances the bonus and scores 1,000 when not lit or 5,000 when lit. Just like the 3-bank, one target will be lit, depicted by a moving red arrow. Completing these targets once lights the spinner, both upper left loop lanes, and increases the right saucer value to 10,000 points. Completing the 5-bank a second time lights extra ball at the right saucer, and completing it a third time lights the out lane specials as well as all arrows to make each drop target worth 5,000 points.
Always try to clear this bank once on a ball to light the spinner, but only go for more than that if you're confident you can save and get control of any shot to that area of the table.
Scores 5,000 points by default. Completing the 5-bank once increases the value to 10,000, and completing the 5-bank a second time lights an extra ball. Unless extra balls are on and one is lit here, it's pretty much always better to shoot the spinner instead if the ball is on the left flipper.
Holding up the right flipper while shooting for this saucer from the left does make the shot slightly easier.
The lower left standup target scores 1,000 points and lights the pop bumpers for 1,000 points per hit (usually worth only 100).
The lower right standup scores 1,000 points and lights the in lanes for 3,000 points plus 3 bonus advance.
Don't shoot for either of these directly; you'll likely pick them up in passing off of slingshot hits.
Flash has a conventional in/out lane setup. The out lanes score 2,000 points plus 2 bonus advances, and can be lit for special by completing the 5-bank of drop targets three times in one ball. The in lanes score 1,000 points plus 1 bonus advance when not lit, or 3,000 plus 3 advances when lit, and are lit at the lower right standup target.
The slingshots on Flash are abnormally small. Post transfers are not very viable as a means of moving the ball from one flipper to the other.
Bonus is advanced 1 time by the 1-2-3-4 lanes, individual drop targets from the 5-bank, and unlit in lanes; it is advanced 2 times by the out lanes; and it is advanced 3 times by lit in lanes.
Bonus multiplier comes from the 1-2-3-4 lanes- lighting 1-2-3 awards 2x bonus and lighting 1-2-3-4 awards 3x bonus.
Max bonus is 3x 29,000 = 87,000 points.
Bonus count and bonus multiplier cannot be carried over from ball to ball. However, lit numbers in 1-2-3-4 will carry over from ball to ball as long as neither combination that lights a bonus multiplier was completed.
Specials can score a free game, an extra ball, or 50,000 points. Extra balls are either on or disabled, they cannot set to be worth points.
The Super Flash, awarded for the 5th completion of the 3-bank drop targets, can be set to 50,000 points or an extra ball.
The 5,000 point lamp at the right saucer can be set not to light initially. This means 3 completions of the 5-bank are required to light the extra ball, and 4 are required to light the outlane specials. Also, the lit value at the saucer can be set to carry over between balls, or reset to the lowest value when a ball drains.