Reviewed by Tim Ferrante, GameRoom Magazine July 2001

GAME PLAN PINBALL MACHINES, A Complete Owner's Manual.
By Brady Miller
71p, 16 Schematics, B/W, 8.5" x 11", Comb Bound

I've never owned a pinball machine built by Game Plan. Oh, I had ample opportunities to buy one. It's just that I was scared sh*tless to even consider it. They were, well … different. And God forbid I learn something new. So for many years I shunned them. This wasn't always true. When Game Plan was in business, I used to play their games in the arcades along the Jersey shore. I can still see the brand new Sharp Shooter sitting there, bright red and exciting as hell (I didn't know that the games designer, Roger Sharpe, was the lanky feller drawing his weapon on the backglass.)

For the most part though, the Game Plan games were lacking something. They just weren't a Gottlieb or Bally. Looking back, the company wasn't around long enough to make any real impact. And they only built something like 20 games. So here we are, it's 2001 and there's still thousands of Game Plan machines lurking in warehouses and collections. And like so many other pinball machines, finding parts and information can still be a "pain in the ask anyone." Until now.

Brady Miller is a Game Plan pinball devotee. His website, www.gameplanpinball.com is an attractive tribute and information center about this short-lived amusement company. Brady is a newcomer to the pinball hobby, but to look at his website and browse his new book, you'd think he's been around since electromechanicals. With GAME PLAN PINBALL MACHINES, A Complete Owner's Manual, Brady has organized and compiled a perfect reference work. He's cleverly assembled necessary parts identification pages along with 16(!) fold-out schematics, combining them with troubleshooting tips, switch settings, parts suppliers and more. In short, if you happen to pick up a bargain Game Plan Captain Hook and its paper work is gone (very likely), Brady's manual will get you going pronto. For example, Game Plan used two MPU types (I didn't know that!): one for their cocktail games, the other for full size pins. BUT! Did you know that in some full size pins, the MPU uses DIP switch settings from the cocktail pins? Me neither.

Brady's manual uses clean source material for its drawings and has new typesetting throughout the text portions. It's a classy treatment. Game Plan owners now have a place they can call home. Visit Brady's site and shoot him an email. He's a good guy and has handed this hobby a guide that's worthy of workshop libraries.

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