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Table of contents

Pinball Technique Guide
MONSTER FAIR Playing Tips
1. Getting started
2. Getting high scores
3. Nudge, nudge! (How to nudge in MONSTER FAIR)
4. The voyage home
5. A final word (for now...)
Playing tips from the JINNI ZEALA World Champion

2. MONSTER FAIR Playing Tips

I. GETTING STARTED

MONSTER FAIR is a pinball game. Use the flippers to hit the ball at targets on the playfield to activate features, score points, and win awards.

To start a new game:

Press the ESC key to show the game menu.
Select "NEW GAME", then press Enter (or Return).
If necessary, use the up/down arrow keys to select the number of players, then press Enter (or Return).
Launch the ball by pressing Enter (or Return).
Operate the flippers by pressing the Z and / (slash) keys.

Note: You can change any of the control keys in MONSTER FAIR:

Press ESC to show the game menu.
Use the up/down arrow keys to select "OPTIONS", then press Enter (or Return).
Select a key that you want to change, then press Enter (or Return).
Press the key that you want to use.

You can activate MONSTER FAIR's features by repeatedly hitting the targets with blinking lights. Lights that blink fast indicate important features. Lights that blink in strange ways are even more important; hitting them is a top priority!

When you activate a feature, the display at the right shows the feature's name, how you can complete it, and the number of points you'll win.

When you start a feature, you'll also hear special sound effects and music. MONSTER FAIR includes seven special music tracks and over 100 sound effects.

You can enjoy MONSTER FAIR by simply shooting at blinking targets, completing features, and winning awards. However, if you take a bit of time to learn its rules and some of the tips below you'll get higher scores and have even more fun.

II. GETTING HIGH SCORES

MONSTER FAIR is a pinball game. Use the flippers to hit the ball at targets on the playfield to activate features, score points, and win awards.

1. The basis of making big scores in MONSTER FAIR is to start and complete each SHOW

When you complete a show, you win its FULL HOUSE FINALE. Completing all five FULL HOUSE FINALES is the game's ultimate goal.

Start one of the five SHOWS by repeatedly hitting a group of flashing targets or going over a flashing ramp. Completing a SHOW launches FULL HOUSE FINALE multiball. (The Ball Saver feature is also activated for a while, so the multiball action doesn’t end too quickly.) Having multiple balls in play is always a good chance to score lots of points?but also look for the special flashing awards, and hit them if you can.

2. Get a bucketful of Extra Balls!

To get your highest scores, it’s important to gain Extra Balls. There are several ways to activate the Extra Ball feature?usually during a SHOW or a FULL HOUSE FINALE.

At any point in the game, you can see a special status report by holding down one of the flipper keys for several seconds. (During play, you can do this by catching and holding the ball on one of the lower flippers.) This report shows the current game’s status, including how may times each target has been hit, and how close you are to activating the Extra Ball feature.

III. NUDGE, NUDGE!

You can "nudge" (bump) the MONSTER FAIR playfield the same way you can nudge a real pinball machine. It's an important technique for controlling the ball--in particular, to avoid losing the ball.

When you nudge, timing is important. When the ball is heading for an exit (the side exits or between the flippers), nudging is often the only way to save it.

Nudging in MONSTER FAIR works like a real pinball machine:

The ball must be touching a wall, post, or other object that can bump it when you nudge.
If you nudge too much, you'll see a "WARNING". Another nudge will "TILT" and you lose the ball.

How to nudge in MONSTER FAIR

When a ball exits one of the red courses (A), it can drop between the flippers. You can often avoid this by nudging. (picture 1). When you see the ball is about to enter a red course, press the / (slash) key when the ball reaches position N. This nudges the playfield to the upper left, and can give the ball enough force to jump to a green course (B). Remember--press the nudge key only briefly, to avoid a TILT.

Sometimes a ball bounces against a sling shot and drops to a red outlane course (A). Press the / (slash) key when the ball reaches position N, when the ball hits the sling shot. This causes the ball to hit the sling shot with more force and it may roll into the green return-lane course (B).

A slowly-traveling ball may bounce at the entrance of the outlane and enter it as shown with red line(A). In this case, press the X key when the ball reaches position N (while the ball is touching the wall between the return lane and the outlane) to push it to the upper right. The ball may then hit the upper wall and bounce out the outlane (B).
An important time to nudge is when you shoot a ramp without enough force, and the ball rolls back. You can often nudge while the ball is rolling down the ramp, to avoid losing the ball between the flippers.
You can use nudging to avoid the dreaded "dead flipper" effect (when the ball lands on the joint between the flipper and its ramp, and suddenly "drains" between the flippers).

There are many other uses for nudging. but remember: Nudging works only when the ball is touching an upright object. If it's just rolling on the playfield, nudging may do nothing, or it may cause an undesired effect.

Good nudging will bring a tremendous improvement in your scores--- so try it!

IV. THE VOYAGE HOME

MONSTER FAIR's grand goal is the RETURN VOYAGE. When you light the five FULL HOUSE FINALES (by completing each of the five SHOWS), RETURN VOYAGE multiball begins.. When you achieve the RETURN VOYAGE, you enable the "monster" aliens in the story to return to their home planet!

Remember: More balls are not always better, especially when you need to make a crucial shot--so in SHOWS with multiball, use the ADD-A-BALL feature selectively. (Sometimes you will want to use ADD-A-BALL just to activate the BALL SAVER function.)

You can enter multiball mode during a single-ball SHOW by activating POPCORN MULTI or GHOST MULTI. This may help you complete the SHOW by extending the time limitation or activating the BALL SAVER.

An advanced strategy is to plan the order in which you start and complete the shows. If you have only a couple of balls left to play, you should choose multiball SHOWS to try to get Extra Balls. (Multiball play is also "safer" than single-ball play, because you have more balls to lose!)

V. A FINAL WORD (FOR NOW...)

When you start getting FULL HOUSE FINALES, you'll see your scores go higher and higher. Sometimes, however, you'll find that you don't score quite as much, even with the same amount of SHOWS and FULL HOUSE FINALES. Why? I'll explain that--and many other strategies--in our upcoming tips.

But here's a final tip just for you who have read to the end of this article: There's an easy way to start a SHOW with a precise flipper-shot. The key words are "Franken" and "Witch." ;?)

Have a fun MONSTER FAIR!

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