No longer own this pin, but would have in my collection again. Good skill shot to get the one 'C' at the top. Hard to get if you don't get it on the initial ball launch. Being able to collect bonus and start over is a nice feature, and that 4x bonus on the last ball is almost unobtainable!

Really my first intro into pinball as it was in my best friend’s game room. I bought this as my first pinball as an adult and traded it away fairly quickly. EMs are hard to work on and mine was in bad shape. It is a great theme but it does get boring quickly.

Plays slow. High risk middle shot. Overall a decent mid 70s Gottlieb

Decent EM. Not one I'd personally pick up though.

Spirit of 76 is one of the best symmetrical EMs out there. The rule set is both challenging and rewarding, with the rotating value of the centre saucer, once you've hit all the drops. Like so many EMs, the rule set is easy to understand but tough to complete. Always a fun game. No wonder they made so many of them as both this, and the two player Pioneer.

Want to correct a comment made by another reviewer (Kaytrox) as it gives the wrong impression about this game. He said "And here's the part of this game that I REALLY REALLY hate. ONLY the drop targets advance the bonus!" I'm not sure if his game wasn't working properly or he wasn't paying attention, but that is TOTALLY INCORRECT.

The drop targets aren't the only thing that advances the bonus - the LIT STAR ROLLOVERS also advance the bonus. In fact, that is integral to the strategy of the game. For every lettered (A, B, C, D, E) rollover you collect, you light up another star rollover. Those stars now count 500 + add a bonus. The only way you're going to get the bonus to 15,000 is through the star rollovers, not the drop targets. (Obviously - if there are only 8 drop targets, and they don't reset, then how else could you get to 15,000 bonus???)

My strategy is to shoot the ball to the top as much as possible - not only to get the lettered rollovers, but then to hit the stars and add the bonus. Get all five lettered rollovers and now the kickout hole lights (alternately) for EXTRA BALL. Then go for the drop targets. Get all 8 drop targets and now the center hole lights for DOUBLE BONUS or SPECIAL (assuming the lettered rollovers are all collected).

Spirit of 76 is a COMPLETE GAME, assuming you understand the rules and your game is working properly.

WOW! Can't believe how much everyone likes this one. I consider this to be half-a-game. If you catch the 'C' rollover on the plunger shot, there's just no reason to send the ball back to the top. The rest of the letters will come from simple attrition, mostly on the bottom inlanes. So to just sit there, and nail sitting duck drop targets in the lower half of the PF, just doesn't do much for me. Even the lettered rollovers are only worth 100 points.

And here's the part of this game that I REALLY REALLY hate. ONLY the drop targets advance the bonus! Usually on collect bonus machines, you have your drops PLUS either rollovers or spot targets that also advance bonus. The big advantage to that type of field, is that you can pick up some bonus advances without really shooting for them.

I guess a lot of all this has to do with my hierarchy of how I play, in general. I played endlessly, and everywhere and anywhere I could, staring when I was 9 years old. Mom didn't give me any pinball money. In fact, my ENTIRE allowance would only allow me a total of 8 games. This meant that REPLAYS were my only focus, and everything else was secondary. You can have a GREAT game, and get the Special lit on 4 out of 5 balls, but never collect that Special. Then you look at your end score of 52K on a machine that needs 61 to POP a game on points, and you put another quarter in, and try again. Whereas, scoring that 61 gets you your next game, and then another at 67 and a third at 78. Some machines even have a 4th score replay, in this case, let's say 91.

So if I turn the counter over, I scored myself my next 4 games, for sure! If I can make 161, I might be able to do it all over again! On most machines, where the Special, and everything you need to make in order to light it, resets after each ball, the chances of winning games that way, no matter how well you play, might leave you light on the score.

With all that said, you could say, 'Hey... you got the eject hole you can shoot at for a thou', but that's a risky shot if Extra Ball or Special aren't lit. So with no serious scoring opportunities up top, this half-a-table machine bores the daylights out of me.

I don't usually like symmetrical playfields but this game is amazingly addictive.

Pretty straightforward EM. Pretty playfield with nice shots. Not a ton of replayability, but not the worst EM either. It benefits from a nice patriotic theme

My favorite em.....ever

When this came out the country was busying painting everything red, white & blue. This pin fit right in. Pretty art with nice bright colors. Star rollovers surrounded by star artwork, two sets of drops, and dual inlanes. Like many EMs played tougher than it looked. Was a common machine when I was a kid, they must have made a ton of them.

Nice looking machine and a fun playfield layout. But does play on the slow side. Beautiful pin no doubt!

Spirit of '76 is one of those games that looks so simple, and I guess it is, but the balance of the rules and the difficulty in achieving the goals of the game make this table a classic.

The Pros:
Simple but NEVER easy. That's pretty much how this game sums itself up. The angles on the drop target banks are perfect. I usually don't like symmetrical pf's but this is a great deck. A real skill shot for the "C" rollover at the top.I am always surprised at how often the ball bounces out the lanes on the sides considering there are no slings on this table. Nudging pro skills are still required down by the flippers.

The Cons:
NEVER easy, and can be mostly frustrating. The center saucer never seems to stick, even with a touch shot. More luck than skill... but you'd better land it for double bonus, extra ball and special.

The Takeaway:
A deceptively simple game that is a true player.