Asteroid Annie and the Aliens

Asteroid Annie and the Aliens, released by Gottlieb in December 1980, is one of the scarcest solid-state games of its era: only 211 units were confirmed produced. Running on the Gottlieb System 1 MPU near the end of that platform's life, this single-player game was designed and programmed by John Buras with artwork by Gordon Morison, and its small production run has made it a sought-after curiosity among collectors.

The playfield offers a classic late-1970s-style Gottlieb layout: two flippers, two pop bumpers, two slingshots, two 5-bank drop targets, a spinning target, a standup target, and a kick-out hole. Players work the drop target banks and spinner to build scores in a game that rewards accurate, deliberate shooting rather than modern mode-based play.

Gordon Morison's artwork gives the game its personality, blending its unusual mix of themes - aliens, outer space, and fantasy alongside playing cards and poker imagery - in the vibrant, stylized look that defined Gottlieb's art of the period. Between its distinctive theme and its tiny production run, Asteroid Annie and the Aliens is a genuine rarity and an appealing piece of Gottlieb's solid-state history.