DRD's ratings

Varkon is a seriously cool novelty game. Its concept is flawed, which is why so few got made.

It sits in a cab that is identical to the ones used in video games dating from the early 80s. The pin table is reflected in a mirror, so you look at a vertical playfield. This is kind of eerie.

As you flip using up-down joysticks, you feel a bit disconnected from the game. It has very few solenoids in it, so you do not get the sense of vibration you do from most pinball machines. So it actually feels like you are playing a video game rather than a pinball machine.

It also has a countdown to the ball release, there is no plunger. Lane changes are done on separate left and right circuits using regular arcade cab buttons. So you have to let go of the flipper joysicks to lane change.

It has a second mini playfield too. To get big points you have to get all 4 top standups, then shoot the ramp to the mini playfield. Spend as much time as you can in the mini playfield as you cannot drain from here. Completing the lanes also enhances your score. This game is end of ball bonus heavy.

Weirg game. Weird controls. Weird scoring. Weird art. The world was a better place when folk experimented with stuff like this

Awesome game for its era. One of a kind with vertical playfield that is beautifully integrated into the game. And the vertical playfield is more than a gimmick, it has been very well designed to offer multiple shots from each of its three flippers.

Superb System 11 music. One of the best jackpot shots in pinball, earned by completing a number of other great shots in sequence.

The hill shot is too easy which is the only real criticism that I have of this wonderful game.

Lifter to upper playfield interrupts the flow of the game but the great music and excellent integration with the theme make up for it.

Unique cabinet design makes it truly horrible to move. Even worse to work on as amongst other things it has a unique display panel and interconnect board. You can see why production volumes were low as operators must have hated it. But what a joy to play after you have rebuilt the 6 flippers.

A true collector's piece.

A unique game. A full video game (low rent, Pac-Man rip off), set within a full sized (low rent, limited) pintable. It is much more of a true video game than the Bally Mr and Mrs Pac-Man. But the Bally is much more of a true pinball.

The video game is really boring and primitive (Caveman an apt title), the pinball is boring and primitive too

A couple of games is enough on this to say you have played it. But I would not want to own one unless I had a very large collection for two key reasons

1. Poor overall gaming experience
2. Potential for fiendishly difficult repairs as it has the boards for a full video game and a full pinball in one package

Pinball manufacturers were not daft. This concept was quite rightly tried and quite rightly rejected.

Personally I hate the artwork on this game. It is naff. The sounds are naff. In an arcade scenario it would be one of the last games I tried.

BUT the game itself is a peach. It gave a flavour of how talented Lawlor was as a designer and look at the games that followed - Addams Family and Twilight Zone.

Earthshaker rewards you for accurate shooting and has a great array of shots. The fault line is a great feature and it has the best use of a shaker motor in any pinball machine made.

One of the best, if not the best, alpha numerical games around - if you can live with the artwork

Poor example of a Williams Bally DMD game. The table looks nice, but is let down by wish washy sounds and time delays caused by the ball going round the Ferris wheels and looping round the bottom ramp.

Game play is about average for the period.

Good for a few games. And like all pinballs, it is better than not having a pinball. But much, much better games were produced in this era.

A truly massive pinball machine. A Supersize Bally is always a handful to play.

Awesome retro playfield theme with classic 70s art. The back glass is by a different artist so just does not match the game. The cabinet art is terrible and based on a white background which is always the wrong colour for a pinball in my opinion

Game is slow and brutal if you miss a shot. Interesting outlanes. Ball seems to travel for ever before actually hitting anything

A game of its time, but much better Bally Supersize tables exist.

Stunning and iconic pinball machine. One of the all time masterpieces of pinball art

Petty basic shots with awesome female voice. The increasing heartbeat sound is hugely repetitive and annoying though.

Above average game for the era, but surely a place for this in most collections due to the artwork.

Decent table with terrible artwork and theme. One of the worst backglasses in pinball history.but aftermarket ones are available that transform the look of this game.

But this is truly a players game. Fantastic ramp diverters and a great mini playfield. In fact, along with Twilight Zone, I would say the best mini playfield of the era.three flippers produce superb shot variety, and an upper shot flipper loop that will test the most able players around.

The scoring system is hopelessly unbalanced though, so enormous scores can be amassed quickly by exploiting this

Good value in the used market if you can get past the terrible backglass and average playfield artwork and the theme tying it to a very average film.

After the industry changing success of Addams Family, the design team was given a huge budget and produced this incredible machine. Simply stunning to look at, listen to and play.

A superb wide body pinball. Great theme. Awesome toys. Wonderful flow and integration of upper flippers into gameplay. The best use of upper flippers on any pinball ? - quite possibly. There is a design flaw in the playfield layout - if you go for the skill shot you risk a drain under the poppers

It is notoriously unreliable as it is so complex and packed with features. It took me considerable time and money to get my example sorted. For this reason it often went wrong in the field, and even 20 years ago, most ones I played had faults. The clock in particular is prone to overheating so buying a new clock board with LEDs is recommended.

To own one is to take on an awesome but complicated delight. Playing it is rewarding for pinball novices and addicts alike. But repairing it is maddening.

If you like this kind of thing but don't feel confident repairing a game, buy an Addams Family instead.

This game changed Pinball and resurrected a dying art form. We have all played it. We all know it. It is simply superb in every way

If you have only space for one game, buy this one. It also happens to be very reliable and ample spares are available.

Vector is a beautiful and seriously underrated game. The best lighting of any early Bally SS game ? - quite possibly. It is not a Fathom, but the art was produced by the same artist and the game
designed to compete with the growing threat of video games. Bally threw everything they had at this game so it has a myriad of extra features, sounds, solenoids and lighting.

It is rammed full of features (9 drops - 6 of these with individual controls, 2 outlane saucers, double backglass, most speech of any game of this era, in playfield plasma display, ramp shot speed detector, 2 or 3 ball multi balls, 4 flippers, 3 ramps, pop bumper ..)

But this makes the playfield cramped, you need accurate shots and quick reactions to play this game. It is CRITICAL that Vector is set up and working properly and that you have pinball skills to play it. Nudging skills are vital on this game as both outlanes have saucers to save you. A well sorted example is a delight to play, but a tired example will be rubbish. It rewards you for hitting drop targets and stand up targets in order. You will both lock balls and release multiballs far more quickly if you shoot accurately. The speech and call outs beat anything of this SS era.

Most Vectors you will see are not set up properly and were hammered in the field. The crowded playfield would take a pounding from over-powered flippers leading to air shots from 3 of the 4 flippers.

I bought my game as a tired example. Like many reviewers I initially thought the game was rubbish. But now I have tuned everything properly. This was just adjusting what was there - refurbing the linear flippers and slingshot assembles, adjusting EOS switches to set sensible flipper power, replaced rubbers, set leaf spring gaps, put correct sized rubbers on the critical posts next to the outlane saucers ..... it has completely transformed this game.

If you are a decent player with some nudging skills and you get to play a well maintained Vector, you will be very pleasantly surprised.