Magic

Spinners are big here, both for the points they can give and for where the ball goes when shot through them. Shots through the right spinner go up top with a chance to get another letter in M-A-G-I-C, a bonus advance and a chance to get drop targets via the bumpers. Shots through the left spinner are deflected around towards the drop target three-bank.

The drop target bank can be big. Individual targets score 1000 for end targets, 500 for middle ones, but it’s completing them that adds up: 5K the first time, then 10K, 20K, 30K and Specials worth 50K each time after that. Each completion also increases the bonus multiplier by one level up to a maximum of 5X.

The base value of both spinners is 200 points per spin. The M-A-G-I-C letters increase the spinner values in specific ways. The M and G each raise the right spinner by 400 each; the I and C raise the right spinner by 400 each. The A adds 1000 to one of the spinners, but which one alternates with switch hits. If you have all 5 letters, one spinner will be worth 1000 per spin, the other 2000 per spin.

Finishing all of M-A-G-I-C lights Extra Ball; collect the extra ball via the star rollover above the left spinner. It’s likely to be set for points rather than an actual extra, but still well worth getting. Finishing MAGIC a second time immediately scores a special, probably set to be worth 50,000.

Magic has a collect bonus hole that you can’t directly shoot; it’s tucked behind a wedge-shaped section at the upper left of the playfield. You can shoot the ball in the vicinity and hope the bumpers knock it in, but that’s about it. Bonus goes up to 19K times 5X or 95,000 maximum. Base bonus resets when collected but you keep your bonus multiplier which only resets at the end of the ball.

Don’t bother shooting the four stand-up GICM targets along the sides of the game. Yes, they are letters in MAGIC, but they’re not worth the drain risk; take what letters you get from the spinners and random bounces.

A subtle scoring rule on the return lanes: the little red star rollover in the center of the playfield just above the flippers raises the return lanes’ values from 2K to 4K, 6K and then 8K. The return lanes also give two bonus advances, and are shatzable, though watch out for the inlane-outlane drain when trying that.