Reviewed: 02/1998

Multi-table package with four tables. 2D planview in 640x480 and 800x600 resolutions. Both are scrolling but at 800x600 it's only at the very top that the screen moves and it does not interfere with gameplay. Even 640x480 is acceptable as there is enough 'view-ahead' area to make it playable and the tables do not fill the screen but stay compact at center using about half the width and the full height. Menu and options are simple - settings for sound volume, screen resolution, score panel size, auto multiball screen size and 4 presets for the control keys. All games are 3-ball and the top 5 scores are recorded. Dot matrix panels feature nice animations and host several simple video modes. The ball physics are good. Table nudge does not manage to save balls from the drain.
The table themes don't cover a lot of new ground (car race, pirates at sea, science fiction, horror) but some haven't been done in the more sophisticated games of late. Slam Tilt reminds me a lot of Pinball Illusions but lacks some of the humor and originality that game had (I don't know how Liquid Dezign, UDS and Digital Illusions are related but it's definitely from a cross-over of those stables). 21st Century published the game in Europe only and now Expert picked it up for the USA discount bins. Even though a decent mix of pinball fun and simulation, the tables fail to motivate me much. The layouts and graphics, however, are clean, crisp and there's a lot on the tables without making them appear cluttered. Gameplay seems very repetitive, shooting the same (some actually quite cool) ramps over and over and scoring jackpot after jackpot during easy-to-get multiballs. The themes just lack a certain charisma but technically it's a good job that probably doesn't have the impact it deserves. Still, it's a good deal if your computer isn't quite arcane (Pentium 75MHz with 8MB RAM).

Where Found: Best Buy, Arizona, USA, 08/1997

Released/Copyright: 1996, 21st Century Entertainment Inc. & 1997, Expert Software