Sheriff is the 4-player version. Lawman is the 2-player version. Sheriff and Lawman have identical rules.
Texas Ranger is the 1-player add-a-ball version seen mostly in Europe. Differences observed in Texas Ranger are mentioned at the end of the guide.
This game has the same layout as, but very different rules to, Atlantis (Gottlieb, 1975).
From the right flipper, shoot drop targets. From the left flipper, shoot the green standup target to open the right out lane gate if it is not already open, and shoot to the top right of the table to fall down the waterfall if the gate is open. End of ball bonus is king. Beware the right in/out lane area, as the in lane is cut off, allowing a ball rolling up the right flipper to fall into the out lane, or allowing a right out lane ball to be nudged back into the in lane.
Pop bumpers and standup targets score 100 points and 1 advance of the horseshoe. Drop targets and unlit lanes score 500 points and 5 advances of the horseshoe. Advancing the horseshoe a total of 10 times increases the end of ball bonus by 1,000 points. Lit rollover lanes score 1,000 points and an instant bonus advance. Each time the end of ball bonus is increased, alternately lit rollover lanes toggle. Max base bonus is 15,000 points. Double bonus is awarded on the final ball of the game only.
At the top lanes, either the center lane is lit, or both the left and right top lanes are lit. There are 5 additional "pairs" of adjacent rollover lanes: 4 along the left side of the table forming a "waterfall" structure, and one underneath the left rail slingshot forming the left out lane. Exactly one of the two lanes in each pair will always be lit. For the 4 pairs in the waterfall structure, which lane in a given pair is lit will be opposite to the pairs above and below it.
Only in one position of the alternating toggle will the last drop target down in the 10-bank award a special.
Score 500 points each. There is no bonus for hitting two targets at a time; in fact, if you do, points will not be given for one of them. Clearing the entire 10-bank of drop targets scores 5,000 points and resets them; half of the time, the last drop target in the bank will also score a special, as an alternating feature outlined above. Drop targets reset at the end of each ball, so you need to clear all 10 in a single ball to earn the 5,000 points and possible special.
Three standup targets in vertical alignment are positioned just to the left of the waterfall structure and accessible directly from the flippers. These targets all score 100 points. The green target in the center opens the right out lane gate, which redirects the ball back to the shooter lane. The red targets close that gate, if it is open. Using the gate does NOT cause it to close automatically. The gate closes whenever the ball drains. Notice the gate's position at the top of the right out lane; it prevents the ball from triggering the possibly-lit right out lane switch, and it can be a little finicky for the ball to actually end up here thanks to a pin immediately above the area that the gate swivels through.
On the left, there is no in lane. The three inch flipper backs up directly to the slingshot, which scores 10 points. The left slingshot is a rail-style sling rather than a triangular one, with two out lanes beneath it; one of the two is always lit, forming a rollover lane pair. The right in and out lane also form a rollover lane pair. Part of the rail separating the in and out lane is cut away, allowing a ball to travel between the two.
Every 10 advances of the horseshoe (100 points = 1 horseshoe advance) or any lit rollover lane advances the bonus. Each bonus advance scores 1,000 points. The first step of bonus is not given for free, so it is possible to drain with 0 bonus. Max bonus is 15,000 points. Double bonus is given on the final ball of the game only. There is no bonus holdover or mid ball bonus collect.
Drop targets do not reset between balls. Completing the 10-bank of drop targets always scores a Wow, worth one extra ball. Up to 5 extra balls can be stored at a time, indicated by white lights on the backglass.
Double Bonus, referred to as Super Bonus, is tied to the right out lane gate. When the gate is open, Double Bonus is lit, and closing the gate disables Double Bonus.