Dakar

The Dakar, manufactured by Mr. Game of Bologna, Italy from 1988 to 1990, is a notable Italian solid-state electronic pinball machine themed around the famous Paris-Dakar Rally, the off-road endurance race held annually since 1978 across sand dunes, grass, and rocks, traditionally finishing in Dakar, Senegal. Its racing theme is reflected in its artwork and playfield, with bright colors and dynamic graphics evoking high-speed off-road action.

One of the key attractions of the Dakar is its multiball mode, accessed via an inset video subgame in the backbox: players must hit both the left-hand and right-hand target groups to capture two balls in the capture-balls lane, unlocking the multiball or supermultiball stage for two or three simultaneous balls. The machine also features two flippers, two pop bumpers, and a spinning target.

While little is known about the machine's designer or specific development process, the Dakar stands as a distinctive late-1980s entry from the lesser-documented Italian manufacturer Mr. Game, valuable to collectors interested in the more obscure corners of European pinball history.