Bumpers hurtle the shiny baubles every which way but up, as that job falls to the Coal Cracker (log boat), Wildcat (coaster), and Wave Swinger (tilt-a-whirl) ramps. Balls roll convincingly around the table, losing or gaining momentum according to the rules of physics. The quality of the simulation is excellent. pardon the cliche' (and the unintentioned rhyme. Mega-high scoring fun is a flick of the plunger away. Visitors to this world of cotton candy Americana will find all the trappings of an amusement park to be intact, including the requisite water rides and overpriced snack/sounvenir shops. Mercifully, no Chernobyl size boo boos are readily apparent in the game, which borrows its architectural getup from Pennsylvania's tastiest tourist trap, Hersheypark. On such an open market playing field, it would've taken a major kludge to monkeywrench Thrillride's ambitions. Throughout these dark days though, PC players can count on at least one standard bearer to keep the torch burning for Tommy's legacy: the 3D Ultra Pinball series. Lately, if it's bumper bashin' action you crave, bargain bin scrutinization's a necessary evil. Gone now are the 21st Century Entertainment's of the world, fallen into extinction due to changing tastes and diminishing returns. Amiga systems made fertile breeding grounds for products in this genre, giving rise to classics like Pinball Fantasies. Pinball just hasn't been the same since '16-bit' was the buzz word.
