1978 Williams WORLD CUP pinball machine

Today in the shop we've finished up a 1978 Williams World Cup pinball machine.

I have a real soft spot for these early solid state machines by Gottlieb, Stern, Williams and Bally. They combine the simplicity of traditional EM pinball with the modern twist (at the time) of electronic sound and player-to-player memory. Games like this were a real step forward in the evolution of pinball and although the rules may not have been much more advanced that EM's, they have a genuine charm all their own.

Anyway, this game is pretty basic. Spell GOAL to advance the multiplier. Score goals by advancing the rollovers on either side of the playfield and then hit the kick-out saucers to score, which adds to your bonus.

Smoking the spinner up the middle of the playfield is a satisfying shot to hit, especially when you've got the spinner dialed-in to spin forever. The kickers by the flippers are pretty neat when they accurately hit the saucers. Ball control is difficult because there's no in-lanes and holding the ball on the flipper results in it going into the kicker. This game will certainly help you perfect your drop catch technique.

All-in-all it's a fun game from a great era in pinball.

World Cup was designed by Edward Tomaszewski with art by Christian Marche, sound by Randy Pfeiffer and software by Ron Crouse.

More information on World Cup can be found on the IPDB here: http://ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=2810