Flicker

Flicker, designed by Jim Patla with artwork by Dick White, was released by Bally Manufacturing Corporation in January 1975. A two-player electro-mechanical game with a Show Business theme, it arrived during the final years of the EM era - and it played a small part in the transition to what came next: serial #1074 of Flicker was converted into a solid-state prototype by Dave Nutting Associates for Bally.

Gameplay offers a solid mix of classic EM features: two flippers, a pop bumper, two slingshots, twelve standup targets, eight star rollovers, two captive balls, a kick-out hole, a spinning target, and an action ring, with an end-of-ball bonus rounding things out. The game could be set for 3 or 5 ball play and was convertible to add-a-ball operation, with a maximum displayed score of 199,990 points per player. Sound came from three chimes and a knocker.

With 1,585 units confirmed produced, Flicker is a relatively modest production run for Bally. Collectors may also note that a 4-player version of essentially the same game exists as Bally's 1974 'Boomerang', dressed in different artwork.