James Bond 007

James Bond works on time like Travel Time / Summer Time and the mid-80’s Beat the Clock. You start with 50 time units, displayed on the backglass in the right-hand two-digit window. You try to earn more time as you play, in addition to scoring points. You have 5 units subtracted whenever you drain a ball. Your game ends when you drain with 5 units or fewer remaining. You can run the clock down to zero and continue to play so long as you don’t drain. This allows you to rejuvenate your game by earning more time and continuing to play that ball or additional ones.

The timer turns on not when you plunge but when the ball first hits a top lane or any drop target. Bumper hits do not start the timer.

Let’s deal with earning time first. Complete the top three yellow lanes to earn 3 units and stop the clock. The right and left lanes are linked - - scoring either awards both, so you really need just the center lane and either side. Complete any of the three drop target banks to earn 3 units and stop the clock. Hit two drop targets down with one shot to earn 2 units and 10K. Complete all three drop target banks on the same ball to light the far upper left channel for 10 units. Hit the lower left stand-up target five times to light it for 10 units: the first 4 hits take your multiplier from 1X to 5X; the fifth one scores 50K, resets the multiplier to 1X and turns it on for 10 units. This target might not be active when your time count is below 30 units; check if you can. When lit, the center drop target on the left 5-bank adds 3 units, as does the stand-up target on the left below the wide lane down from the top.

You cannot accumulate more than 50 units; that’s a hard cap. When the clock is at zero, hitting the right bullseye target adds 15 units, assuming the game is set to award time rather than a free game (the light there says Special).

Now to look at bonus and other values. Drop target values are the lit value in the playfield circle from 100 to 800 times your current bonus multiplier. Each drop target hit advances the value around the circle; when you’re at 800, the next target moves it back to 100 but increases your bonus multiplier. Drop targets and return lanes add bonus. The far upper left channel always gives 5K and a bonus advance, lit or not. Bonus goes up to 99K and is displayed on the backglass left of the timer. The recessed bullseye target at the lower right adds 15 bonus and 15K.

Game strategy is to get your bonus multiplier up to 5X a.s.a.p. and in the process light that stand-up target to add 10 time units. If you get that far, just keep smacking drop targets and hit the stand-up or upper left channel to the top to add time when needed. The problem is, this game is a widebody and tends to play slow with all that empty space. It gets really annoying to watch the ball float around while precious seconds tick away. Combine that with the 50-unit cap, unlike the other time-based games where you can earn more than you start with, and you find your time often runs out before you can get enough done.

Trivia note: the amphibious car which appeared in “The Spy Who Loved Me” (playfield art below the top green drop targets) is now owned by Elon Musk. Check out the car’s strange history.