Vinnypin's ratings

I love this game. I love the theme, I think it's one of the hardest games to go to the depths of the ruleset in, and that keeps me coming back. But I HATE that it's a STERN game. Artwork is good, but of poor quality, same can be said for the "feel" of the flippers and assemblies. It's clunky, has some quality issues with the ring magnet, and ball loop, plus the VUK where Gollum and Gimli are awarded. But the ruleset, and depth keep me coming back again and again.
If the rules and theme weren't a hit, I think this game would be a dud. Yet if this were a Bally/Williams game from the 90's, it would be right on up there with MM and TZ as far as holy grail of collectable pinballs. Still an awesome game, and holding it's own because it's fun, and has great rules. Mine's not going anywhere, anytime soon!

Elvira, and pinball? What else is there to say?
Well this game is great for the novice and experienced player alike, and that's what I think makes a great pinball. The ability to enjoy it no matter what your skill level. Attaining the spider multiball in my opinion is one of the hardest achievments in pinball, along with Valinor on LOTR, and possibly BFTK on MM. Yet, multiball and getting scared stiff aren't so difficult that you lose interest in the game. Lots of great artwork, theme is awesome, just a great overall game. Even better if you can get one of the early versions with all the bells and whistles that were left off the production games. Aftermarket mods, make putting together a "clone" possible though.

This is the game that started it all for me way back when. Before pinball had really started heating up as a cool mid-life collectable. I played a MB in a deli while out on a day trip with my wife and some friends, and we all decided to play some pinball since none of us had dropped a quarter into a game in years. After playing, I remarked at how cool the game was, and how much fun it would be to have one at home, since I had always wanted one after seeing a couple in friend's homes growning up. Of course, my wife made the mistake of agreeing with me, and off I went to find the "perfect Monster Bash pinball game" .. My search took almost a year, but after a few failed attempts at purchasing a game, and losing an online auction from a seller somewhat nearby, I finally managed to land a game. The seller on the auction happened to be an operator upstate from me, and he contacted me after losing out, saying he had another one, and would sell for what I bid. I was up there within 24 hours, and bought the game.
It originally went into our dining room, as that was the largest room in our house, and we played and played, and played that game to death as they say, but of course, the bug had taken hold, and having searched for almost a year, I had found many other "cool games" out there.. soon thereafter, CFTBL and IJ were in the house.
So much has been said about MB, that there's not much more for me to say, save that what was once a very sought after game, is now one of THE most sought after games, and there's a reason why. It basically hits on all cylinders, It's got looks, sounds, playability, and a theme that are just desirable!
My game turned out to be a low production number, and is still in my collection and has a host of reproduction parts should I ever want to restore it. But it's in such nice condition as it is, (always was) that it really doesn't need any work!
Now I think THAT says a lot about the game, without having to go over what the game is all about.
I hope this will become a treasured family heirloom, and suspect it will be!

There's not much new to be said about this one. This game is rated number 1 for a reason, it's overall completeness as a pinball game, has not been matched quite to this level by any other game. It is beautiful to look at, it has an awesome theme, it's humorous, has great sound, and voice callouts, excellent integration of video, and video modes, lighting etc. But the rules and layout just make this the top notch game that it is. It's appealing to both the casual player AND the seasoned expert. Not the hardest game to get into, but it DOES get progressively harder to achieve the ultimate reward in Battle for the Kingdom, and for all these reasons, this game will always be KING of the list. I can't speak to price and value, as this game has gotten VERY expensive, and is not readily available to the masses by most standards. I can say that this IS my desert island pin, and I hope will be a cherished family heirloom when I'm gone.

This is the first game I have totally "restored" back to better than new! I first bought this game as a beater just because of the beautiful artwork, and at the time I was looking to collect early Bally SS games. I had never played or seen one in person, and the first time I turned it on was when I got it home. Aside from the trashed playfield, the game was even more beautiful than I expected in my dimly lit basement, but that wasn't all that got me hooked. The sinister background sound (which will admittedly bother some) ramps up and will eventually turn to a frantic pace, adding to the adrenaline rush this game is supposed to induce! Inline drop targets times two, 6 more drop targets and a 3 bank drop target right in the center which must be hit in order to light the timed extra ball stand up are all great because of the varied shots needed, plus the varied rewards they give. Nice touch! On games that are well tuned, the pop bumpers and slingshots have a great kick, and really speed up the game. The early Bally voice doesn't disappoint if you remember that this was a milestone achievement in SS technology in the 80's, but obviously doesnt' compare to sound quality 30 years later. Varied specials, huge bonus possibilities, a rewarding spinner both in terms of satisfaction in hitting it, plus the points rack up when lit, and multiball multipliers for both 2 and 3 ball multiball are great. I also enjoy the unconventional outlane set up which is reversed, and allows a challenging but different set of skills to nudge back in on outlane drains (unless the ball is screaming downwards!) But of course, the real testament to fathom is it's artwork package. In some people's eyes, it's the most beautiful game ever done, and I can say that once one of these games is restored back to new or better condition (easily done with all necessary repro parts available) I have to agree, it is a sight to behold in ANY setting. I constantly get positive comments on mine just on the looks alone. The one aspect some have bashed is the issue with multiball coming to an abrubt end when shooting a ball back into a lock saucer during multiball, (you need to hit the three corresponding colored drop targets at the 6 bank to release the ball again) I think it's just one more aspect of shot management during a hectic multiball that makes the player work harder for the extra points earned, OR a nice respite for those that want to slow the pace down a bit. Player's choice! While not the cheapest game to buy these days, you can still find decent examples for reasonable cost, or completely restored examples for a much higher price point.

This is one of those games that I find hard to believe isn't more sought after considering how great it is! Must be a "sleeper", but that's fine with me. This is a classic Williams solid state game right from the mid 80's where pinball was competing head to head with video games, and Williams and Bally were still two very distinct companies putting out very different feeling AND looking games. One of the 3 system 9 games which were all hits for Williams (the other two being Cyclone and Space Shuttle) This one is a sinister and very dark themed battle with an evil sorcerer. The game follows through with this theme very well in the artwork, sound, and lighting. With a predominantly black playfield, yet lots of bright colored inserts and vibrant artwork colors contrasting the black cabinet and playfield background, it's a beautiful sight, especially in a dimly lit room. Plastics that "mirror" certain aspects of the playfield artwork they cover givve it a 3-D feel, and the siniser eyes in the back of the cabinet above the playfield flash are yet another evil aspect of the game that I love. Two ball multiball is not hard to achieve, but is the key to success, as is the bonus multiplier which is increased by the rollover lanes up top. Fast play, and timed drop targets with a 3rd flipper on the upper right side of the playfield make for a lot of varied shots, as well as the "SORCERER" stand up targets, and tunnel spinner shots. This is one of those games that you can play fairly long games on, as it has a small rebound post right in front of the center drain, and outlanes are forgiving, and that's one of the appealing things about this game. Sometimes you just want to DESTROY a game! Does that mean this game is too simple? Not necessarily, as it can be set up harder if desired. Well set up games are truly magical (pun intended). Exceptional game for the avid collector with many games, or budget minded first time buyer.