Sure Shot

This Sure Shot is an Italian-made add-a-ball copy of Gottlieb's 1976 US replay game of the same name, itself closely tied to Gottlieb's 1976 European release 'Spot Pool.' Its manufacturer is unknown, and unlike most Italian copies of the era, it was built from the US replay version's artwork rather than the Italian original — reproducing the American backglass and playfield graphics without any manufacturer branding.

The game is a single-player, electro-mechanical machine with a billiards theme, featuring two flippers, three pop bumpers, two slingshots, three standup targets, and two kick-out holes, housed in a wedge-head cabinet with a plexiglass backglass. Operators could configure it for either add-a-ball or 5-ball novelty play. A few quirks give away its unusual origin: the half-moon credit window is covered over, the playfield reads "Special" instead of the Italian standard "WOW," and the plexiglass backglass numbers its added balls 1 through 5 — unusual choices for an Italian-made game. Its coin door and coin-entry housing, salvaged from genuine Gottlieb equipment, are stamped "Gottlieb" and "Mondial exclusively for export" respectively.

According to Italian pinball historian Federico Croci, copiers typically based their games on the Italian original ('Spot Pool'), but because the Italian importer of the time aggressively pursued copiers, this one was instead adapted from the US replay game's back-end scoring while largely preserving the front playfield graphics. That unusual choice makes this Sure Shot a distinctive footnote in the history of Italian pinball copies.