Achieved at : 2026-01-23
Rank : 1
(world record)
Lups : 400
Approved :
Yes
Voting completed : 2026-02-01
| General Rules: |
Play with default settings unless otherwise specified. No use of trainers, cheats, saved game files, auto-fire (when not default present in-game), emulator save states, or other emulator advantages. No use of code modifications that give the player an advantage over other players. 1 player only. No continues. It is discouraged and may lead to voters not accepting your score to - excessively point farm - use glitches or other game exploits |
| Specific Rules: | Play the game in 1 player mode with default settings |
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TGP
Advanced Pinball Simulator is a pinball game for the Atari 400 / 800 series of home computers. It was released by Codemasters in 1989 and designed by The Oliver Twins (Andrew and Philip). The Atari version was programmed by Hassan Mehmet.
This is an unusual table for an 8-bit game as it features quite a complex storyline, requiring you to complete a number of tasks to defeat a weather-controlling wizard. At top right, rollovers spelling the word MAGIC have to be cleared (twice) to open a spellbook and cast a spell. Various other targets help destroy the Wizard's Castle, brew a potion and restore village buildings. At top left, there is a forest to battle through and a volcano to extinguish. That is a lot of tasks to complete!
And it is not easy. Aiming seems limited, much more so than on a real table or a modern pinball game like Pinball FX or Zaccaria. There is also no tilt feature, which would have helped a lot. Trying to clear the CAST rollovers at bottom left is particularly difficult for example, and the LR rollovers are a real pain as they open up drains which cost you a ball if it heads their way. The game designers knew the game was hard, and at times unfair, as they give you an extra life every 10,000 points (though you can only have a maximum of five).
The graphics layout is basically the same as the Amstrad / ZX Spectrum versions but the visuals are chunkier and not as detailed. Sound is quite limited, just bong noises and sirens. Ball physics is the worst of all the versions I have seen. It is usually ok-ish, but sometimes the ball just decides to ignore the obstacles and ghosts through the screen with a will of its own. Despite the physics flaws, this is an ok pinball game for the system as there is a lot to do in the mission to defeat the wizard. It is the least appealing of all the versions, though.
This run was made on the 23rd January 2026 using the Pantheon emulator on PC. There are no skill levels to adjust and the final score was 128,800 points.
Time stamps:
00:30 Title screen.
00:38 Game start.
01:55 Ball 1 lost.
03:02 Extra ball for passing 10,000 points.
04:29 MAGIC cleared, replaced with XXXXX.
04:51 Empty potion bottle collected.
05:00 Extra ball awarded.
05:53 Potion brewed.
06:07 Ball 2 lost.
09:07 Extra ball awarded.
12:45 Extra ball awarded.
14:04 CAST cleared, replaced with XXXX.
15:02 Extra ball awarded.
16:42 XXXXX cleared.
22:20 Ball 3 lost.
22:39 XXXX cleared.
26:35 Extra ball awarded.
27:36 Ball 4 lost.
28:40 Ball is stuck. I have to lose it (you can manually sacrifice a ball if it gets stuck). Ball 5 lost.
30:51 Extra ball awarded.
33:19 Extra ball awarded.
36:03 Castle destroyed.
37:20 Ball 6 lost.
37:54 Ball 7 lost.
38:54 Ball 8 lost.
39:35 Extra ball awarded.
41:12 Ball 9 lost.
42:26 Ball 10 lost.
42:54 Ball 11 lost. Game Over! Final score 128,800.
42:58 Initials entry and High Score table.
This is an unusual table for an 8-bit game as it features quite a complex storyline, requiring you to complete a number of tasks to defeat a weather-controlling wizard. At top right, rollovers spelling the word MAGIC have to be cleared (twice) to open a spellbook and cast a spell. Various other targets help destroy the Wizard's Castle, brew a potion and restore village buildings. At top left, there is a forest to battle through and a volcano to extinguish. That is a lot of tasks to complete!
And it is not easy. Aiming seems limited, much more so than on a real table or a modern pinball game like Pinball FX or Zaccaria. There is also no tilt feature, which would have helped a lot. Trying to clear the CAST rollovers at bottom left is particularly difficult for example, and the LR rollovers are a real pain as they open up drains which cost you a ball if it heads their way. The game designers knew the game was hard, and at times unfair, as they give you an extra life every 10,000 points (though you can only have a maximum of five).
The graphics layout is basically the same as the Amstrad / ZX Spectrum versions but the visuals are chunkier and not as detailed. Sound is quite limited, just bong noises and sirens. Ball physics is the worst of all the versions I have seen. It is usually ok-ish, but sometimes the ball just decides to ignore the obstacles and ghosts through the screen with a will of its own. Despite the physics flaws, this is an ok pinball game for the system as there is a lot to do in the mission to defeat the wizard. It is the least appealing of all the versions, though.
This run was made on the 23rd January 2026 using the Pantheon emulator on PC. There are no skill levels to adjust and the final score was 128,800 points.
Time stamps:
00:30 Title screen.
00:38 Game start.
01:55 Ball 1 lost.
03:02 Extra ball for passing 10,000 points.
04:29 MAGIC cleared, replaced with XXXXX.
04:51 Empty potion bottle collected.
05:00 Extra ball awarded.
05:53 Potion brewed.
06:07 Ball 2 lost.
09:07 Extra ball awarded.
12:45 Extra ball awarded.
14:04 CAST cleared, replaced with XXXX.
15:02 Extra ball awarded.
16:42 XXXXX cleared.
22:20 Ball 3 lost.
22:39 XXXX cleared.
26:35 Extra ball awarded.
27:36 Ball 4 lost.
28:40 Ball is stuck. I have to lose it (you can manually sacrifice a ball if it gets stuck). Ball 5 lost.
30:51 Extra ball awarded.
33:19 Extra ball awarded.
36:03 Castle destroyed.
37:20 Ball 6 lost.
37:54 Ball 7 lost.
38:54 Ball 8 lost.
39:35 Extra ball awarded.
41:12 Ball 9 lost.
42:26 Ball 10 lost.
42:54 Ball 11 lost. Game Over! Final score 128,800.
42:58 Initials entry and High Score table.