“great data east title. A little easy, but music and lights make up for it all.”

“Excellent sound package, good art, but limited game play as it is a bit repetitive. Really cool theme and haunting organ sounds. One of the best back glasses out there. Too bad, this was pre-DMD.”

“Id be beating a dead horse if I repeated what everyone else says about this table. Looks pretty, sounds cool.... yadda yadda.”

“Good pin. I like the artwork but can't say I love it. Excellent music, interesting toys and shots.
The "double score" features kind of ruins my interest for the game. I find it too unbalanced.”

“Phantom of the Opera is one of the best looking and sounding games to come out of the DE stables.

The Pros:
Solid shots to the ramp, organ and the spinner. The Organ in particular is a great piece of pinball engineering. It works and requires skill, it's not just a novelty. The 2 ball then 3 ball multiball is a great way to earn the Jackpot. This game looks gorgeous. The first time I saw the phantom's face on the BG I had a serious pinball wow moment. It's almost too bad that the gruesome face that Paul Faris depicted is obscured by the dual layer BG. The PF is detailed and has a gothic look to it that even exceeds the visuals of The Addams Family pinball table. The music for this table is brilliantly executed. Gary Stern looks silly in a wig.

The Cons:
The rules. For all the positives this game has in the looks and the sound department, you can't get past the fact that this game is incredibly simple. No way to relight the organ jackpot. The organ JP builds and holds over so if the players are good, the JP value is miniscule and not worth the work for the points. The mirror is a death shot and is usually not worth the risk for bonus x. Left ramp to right flipper over and over and over... Double your score... over and over...Zzzzzzzzzz......

The Takeaway:
A great game if you want to look at it. It's also nice to listen to. Playing it is not that great in my opinion. I know some people who love to play it, I'm just not impressed with the depth of the programming and the amount of game that this pinball deck possesses considering how strong all the other parts of this title are.”

“Pretty fun machine, it's very simple but flows nicely and has cool music and sounds”

“I recently picked up my first POTO. It wasn't in the greatest shape so I was a little leery about what it would come out to play like. After replacing all bulbs, rubbers, some decals, plastics, new flipper bats etc...I was VERY impressed with every aspect of this game. I was lucky that my backglass (maybe one of the coolest ever), was in mint condition - no mask peeling!
From the Artwork (one of pinball's best IMHO), to the sound of the organ (I can't believe all POTO's were not given a better speaker system in factory), to the light show....I think this machine is a winner.
As others have stated, the organ shot IS was too easy, but the deep, rich, familiar sound of the organ opening never gets tiring! The magic mirror is pretty cool as well. I purchased a Phantom (Lon Chaney) figure on eBay and installed it by the staircase and it really fits with the flow of the game.
I debated adding LED's but stuck with regular bulbs and am very impressed with the light show...the deep reds are absolutely haunting and beautiful in a darkened room!
Also, the rules are DEFINITELY not deep, but I like that so that my two children and guests can play and have good time doing so.
I have never seen POTO, but I am definitely a "themed" pin fan....
To each their own I suppose, but I don't see this one leaving my collection soon; even if I get tired of the play, it is beautiful to look at!”

“Awesome game if you have a larger collection. It's very unique, and something good to have when your in the mood for a lighter ruleset game. Fantastic art package.”

“I like the theme of this, it's a bit underrated because it has a little of that DE cheese to it but the artwork, sounds and music makes this one of the better designs by them. Playfield is open, and can drain balls if not set up correctly but when it is it's fast and fun.”

“Phantom is a pretty decent game. It's definitely a one shotter, don't get me wrong, but that doesn't mean it's not fun. Great art and sound package for the time. The playfield art is some of the best of seen and the light shows and the audio is excellent. It's not deep but it's a gorgeous game that plays well enough.”

“Phantom is a great game that I would never own. It looks great. It sounds great and has some of the best and most humorous call outs in any game (Exx traaa Balllllllll) lol. It has a neat toy/ramp in the Organ. The rules aren't particularly deep and the scoring isnt very balanced but its on par with other titles of the same era. So why wouldn't I want to own one? its just to easy. Its basically tied with BOP as being one of the easiest games I've ever played. The Organ shot is as wide as the grand canyon and can be made easily from either flipper. The feed from balls coming out of the lock is right to the left flipper setting you up for incredibly easy Organ shot. Its a fun game and my non pinhead friends love this game, I love this game, but unless you have a large collection you will get bored.”

“possibly the best music and sound effects in any pin ive ever played, good pin although the playfield is a little sparse..real fun to play in a dark room because the light show is hands down the best ive ever got to experience. artwork on the playfield and back glass is superb as well”

“The P/F is Layed out Nicely, a Ramp shot , spinner's , Mechanical Raise-n Organ. Now The Magic Mirror was a Trip at 1st !! Where did the ball Go ,, and The Music is Awesome.. Now the B/Glass.. I keep glance-n up to the chick in the Ready-4-Bed Nightgown .. I Absolutely Love this Pin.. Data East has some Killer Titles and POTO is 1 in their Top 10 .. This Pin makes me want to watch the movie.. POTO is Gonna be like BSD , I Loved the Movie , and I Love the Pin !!! Noooooo ,Noooooo , Smack ,, Then she Scream's.. " Shoot the Cat-Walk " Killer audio... Find 1, and get it !!”

“Boring!!!”

“Hands down, THE best art package in pinball. Flow and play be damned, I have never seen a more gorgeous machine. Three cheers for Paul Faris.”

“This machine is a lot of fun to play. It has absolutely beautiful artwork. I never get tire of looking at it. The playfield art is exceptional. If you collect horror themes or machines for their artwork then this one is a must. More experienced players might find the game a bit on the easy side. The piano shot which leads to multiball and the jackpot is a very simply shot. The opening is perhaps a bit too large. The backglass could have been better executed. These backglasses have paint on the exterior and a lot of them have chipped away with time. The phantom's disappearing mask was a good idea but could have been better executed. True animation would have been a better choice to remove the mask. Overall game play is very good. If you are the type of player who likes Creature from the Black Lagoon then you would probably like this game.”

“Love the theme of this game. The music and sound are top notch. The left ramp is a very difficult shot. It's a drain monster most the time that i play it but it keeps me coming back. overall great game.”

“I just purchased this game and it looks to be a keeper. Game play is not overly hard but not boring or repetitive either. You can't beat the artwork or sounds for the period. If you have never played this machine it's worth giving a "shot".”

“I love the theme of this machine. I really appreciate the artwork and sounds in the game. I have only ever seen this pin at one location in my life, back when I was a teenager, but I used to spend a lot of time playing it. The game has a some what sparse ruleset, but I found it fun to play.”

“You hardly ever see this pin & its a shame. Take note though pinheads because POTO is a classic! POTO probably started off as an advertising piece for the 1989 movie remake. Don't be so quick to judge, because this is one of the best themed pins out there. The art in this game is unbelievable, inspired by the 1925 & 1943 period piece films. Check out the art as the organ ramp rises, revealing a "Lon Chaney-ish" Phantom. Lighting in the game is showstopping in combination with the backglass revealing the Phantom's masked face. Easily Data East's best looking pin. Paul Farris' best work since Centaur! Sound is well done, replicating the theme song. Quite a few interesting shots with lots of subway ball travel. Magic mirror is cool as is the iconic rising Phantom organ ramp. Game has a sinister theme to it, but has fun with itself. Christine: "Extra baaaaall". If there is a flaw, it's the simplistic rules. With LED's & pinball pro, POTO is an experience. Definately check this game out!”

“Next to Avatar's 3D back-glass, Phantom of the Opera has one of the most beautifully designed back-glasses I've see. It is a very simple, yet intriguing pinball machine. The center piece evolves around the organ and its music and theme fidelity are true to the play. The ramp can be difficult, but yet is very simple and rolling the ball through it at the right time will yield good results. This pin is not very attractive to those who look for lots of bells and whistles, but for those who enjoy the actual play, love the music, and understand the theme is a most. I believe it was one of the very first solid state pins produced by Data East. I owned one and thoroughly enjoyed it, when I had it.”

“I bought this machine for three reasons: Not many were made (2,750 according to IPDB) so I am hoping it is will be a collector's item - The artwork is the very BEST in my opinion of ALL pinball machines . . . I could look at it and study it all day! - The sound system! It has powerful Bose speakers, and when the sound is cranked up, the organ music is AWESOME, almost scary sounding, like in an old time horror movie!!!

My guests marvel at the beauty of this machine and admire it. They like the looks, the sounds, and the blackglass where the Phantom's mask is 'unveiled' at times. Very different translite than others!

For me, playing the game is not as appealing as LOOKING at it! Game play is plodding and very repetitive. Just a nice game to play when you feel tired and don't want to exert a lot of energy or brain power when playing. I don't play it often, but it can be a nice change of pace at times.

There is a pipe organ on the upper right area of the playfield. When the door opens during play you aim the ball there for Multi-ball. It is wide and relatively easy to hit. Most people rate the Magic Mirror feature pretty high. It's located in the dead center of the PF were the ball goes inside and pops up elsewhere on the PF.

Clean artwork. Nice font for the spelling P-H-A-N-T-O-M right below the backglass.

I will neve sell this even if it stops working! Too 'pretty'!!!”

“One of my all time favorite pinball machines, it just had some sort of odd charm that kept me playing it for a long period of time in the 90's until the arcade literally shut down and i've not seen one since.”

“I own this machine, and I always find myself getting so into the games that before I know it I've spent hours in front of it. The organ music is so cool, and I love the opening stage. This game is simple to learn, but difficult to master. Some of the scoring is a little off, but I don't play it for that. I love the game's strategy and replayability. One of my favorites.”