Rey de Diamantes

Rey de Diamantes ("King of Diamonds"), produced by Petaco in 1967, was a modified copy of Gottlieb's 1967 'King of Diamonds' -- but one that became a genuine commercial sensation in its own right. Petaco's version played faster than the Gottlieb original, a change Spanish players preferred, and the game reportedly sold hundreds of units, including many sold as replacements for machines worn out after only three months of heavy use.

Gameplay features two flippers and three pop bumpers, along with carousel roto-targets that rotate to present different scoring opportunities. A distinctive backglass light animation illuminates playing cards as they're scored on the playfield, tying directly into the game's cards/gambling theme.

The game's runaway popularity reportedly surprised even Gottlieb, whose personnel traveled to Spain to understand why a modified copy of their own design was outperforming expectations so dramatically. While details about Petaco's designers remain scarce, Rey de Diamantes stands as a notable case of a licensed adaptation surpassing its source material in a regional market.