Genie is a game filled with features, almost overwhelmingly so, but at its core it's just a build and collect bonus game. Most important is the bank of yellow drop targets near table center that always give a bonus advance, and also give bonus multiplier when they are lit intermittently by switch hits. The red and white drop targets in the upper left playfield also give bonus advance; clear one colour (red or white) to reset them all and make the white targets worth 5,000 points and 3 bonus advance. The spinner gives a bonus advance per spin when lit by the in lanes, but Gottlieb spinners from this era are remarkably bad. When your base bonus is over 20,000, collect it at the saucer in the very top right corner of the game, and start building it again. Ignore other features not listed in this paragraph.
Lit lanes score 5,000 points and unlight. Unlit lanes score 500 points. Lanes always give a bonus advance whether lit or not. There are two places to get these letters: the top right of the game off the plunge, or the structure in the middle left of the game, but the latter should be avoided. There is no lane change available to move lit lanes around. Completing A-B-C-D lights a standup target in the upper left playfield for extra ball. Collecting this extra ball relights A-B-C-D. Progress on A-B-C-D resets between balls.
This is a 7-target bank: 4 red, 3 white, alternating. All targets score 2,000 points and a bonus advance. Completing either colour will score 5,000 points, reset the entire bank, and light the white targets only for 5,000 points and 3 bonus advances each for the rest of the ball. If you completed the red drops, a standup target in the middle right of the table will be lit for Special. If you completed the white drops, a different standup target next to the Special target will be lit for extra ball.
Scores 100 points per spin when not lit. When lit, the spinner scores 1,000 points and a bonus advance with every spin. The spinner is lit by the star rollovers positioned in the in lanes that connect to the two lowest flippers. The spinner will stay lit until a bumper or slingshot is hit, or until after the spinner itself has been ripped once. Gottlieb spinners from this time are wide, thick, heavy, and stiff, so you're unlikely to get more than 5 or so spins from a good shot, but that's still 5,000 points and 5 bonus advance if it's lit. If the yellow drop targets are lit (see next section) your priority should always be those, but if the spinner is lit and the yellow drops aren't, it's your best option as a shot from any lower flipper.
Each target down always scores 2,000 points and a bonus advance. Completing the bank scores 5,000 points and resets it. Certain switch hits throughout the game (most commonly bumpers and slingshots) toggle whether this bank is lit for a bonus multiplier. If it is, hitting any single target will increase the bonus multiplier by 1x up to the maximum of 5x, and subsequently unlight the bank. If you hit two adjacent targets at the same time when the bank is lit, you will receive the scoring and the bonus advance for both, but still only one bonus multiplier. Hitting this bank when it is lit is the most important task in the game.
In the very top right of the game is an eject saucer. It can be made via a very long and tight shot from the lowest left flipper or from a lucky bounce off the upper-rightmost pop bumper. When not lit, this saucer scores 5,000 points. When lit, the saucer awards a full collect of the entire bonus including multiplier, before resetting your base bonus back to 1,000 points (but keeping the multiplier intact). The saucer is only lit when your base bonus is at 20,000 points or more. Since the collect does drain your bonus, try not to end up here when the saucer is lit unless your bonus multiplier is at least 3x or 4x. The saucer should kick the ball back toward the lowest right flipper.
Just below this saucer is a lane that scores 500 points and a bonus advance, but also puts the ball back into the shooter lane for a replunge.
There are two portions to the bottom of the table on both sides.
On the left, the table bottom starts with a single lane directly below the 2,000 point bumper. This connects to a 50/50 in/out lane. The out lane scores 10,000 points. The in lane has a star rollover that scores 200 points and a bonus advance plus lights the spinner. Ideally, you don't end up here at all, though. While it's not the most difficult thing in the world to nudge a ball to the in lane from the single lane above it, try not to put yourself in that situation at all by nudging a ball toward the center of the table whenever it's near the A-B-C-D lanes or 2,000 point bumper.
On the right are two stacked in/out lane structures. The upper set has an in lane that scores 500 points and a bonus advance, putting the ball on the secondary lower right flipper. The out lane scores 3,000 points. If a ball goes down the 3,000 point out lane, it will hit a pin that will cause it to either deflect into the lower in lane or rattle into the lower out lane. Once again, this is nudgeable, but keep yourself out of the situation as best you can by not even allowing the upper out lane to happen to begin with. The lower in lane has a star rollover that scores 200 points and a bonus advance plus lights the spinner. The out lane scores 10,000 points.
Bonus is advanced by any drop target, any star rollover, any rollover lane labelled Add Bonus, and spins of the lit spinner. The white drop targets are lit for 3 bonus advance each after completing a set of either the red or white targets. Max base bonus is 29,000 points. When the bonus is at least 20,000 points, the bonus collect saucer is lit. The bonus collect saucer does incorporate the current bonus multiplier, but resets your base bonus back to 1,000. Bonus multipliers are awarded by hitting a yellow drop target when the bank is lit, which is toggled with bumper and slingshot hits. Max bonus multiplier is 5x. Max bonus is 5x 29,000 = 145,000 points. Neither base bonus nor bonus multiplier can ever be carried from ball to ball.
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