Bram Stoker's Dracula

Model number 50001 - Released April 1993

Review written by Eddie Mole, a local (Bristol, England) pinball enthusiast

A new challenge! That's what was needed so within hours of waving goodbye to one pin machine I had spent the cash on 
Dracula-easy come easy go. I had been strangely drawn to this machine because of its theme, what I'd read about it in 
the Complete Pinball Book and on the net. I was pleased to find a one quickly but didn't have the space for it straight 
away so I had to delay it's delivery for about a month. The previous owner didn't mind as he'd not had much of a chance 
to play it himself but by the time delivery was due his tone had changed. "I will be pleased to see the back of it as I 
just can't get the hang of it" he said and warned "I hope you like it but I don't think you will keep it for long as it 
will drive you mad". I then looked up some playing tips on the net in anticipation of its arrival and was dismayed to 
find that one author called it "the most unforgiving game ever made". What had I bought? Dracula has a reputation as a 
dark and difficult game but is Dracula really evil or just misunderstood?
Start of game quote-"Do you believe in destiny?"

OVERVIEW.

Williams produced Dracula in 1993 based on the superb Coppola film, which in turn was based on Bram Stoker's book. It 
is a gory love story and film quotes/scenes are used throughout the game; many quotes are from the superb Gary Oldman 
who played Dracula and whose voice is suitably sinister. The pin deviates from the film plot by allowing you to kill 
Dracula with a stake, an end that is saved for the beautiful Lucy, another vampire in the film. 
Dracula feels solid and well made. It was the first game to use the fliptronic 2 flipper system and was brought out 
just before Williams introduced their DCS sound system. Despite this the pin's sound is great and noticeably better 
than games that were produced only a few months earlier. Some sounds are almost too realistic and spooky-check out 
the church bells at the end of the game. In addition it boasts an operator optional "dual volume" system so that the 
game becomes louder and scarier for certain quotes or when the action hots up. 
The artwork is high quality and attractive. The cabinet is decorated with a scene of Dracula's castle in blue, purple 
and black with the words Bram Stoker's Dracula emblazoned across it in blood red. The same blood red writing is on the 
back box along with a picture of "the man himself" plus other characters and scenes from the film. The phrase "Love 
never dies" flashes like lightning in ghostly blue below the display at appropriate times. The actual display is red 
and animated blood drips continuously while the score is displayed. This gives more impact to the animations in what 
is an atmospheric and bloodthirsty game.  
Barry Oursler was chief designer and is a man with a long pinball history. The pinball database credits him with 33 
machines including classics like Gogar, Space shuttle, Pinbot (one of my favourites) and more recently Doctor Who, 
Whodunnit and Junkyard.

PLAYFIELD.

It is a standard width machine with a straightforward two-flipper layout of ramps, sinkholes, bumpers, targets and a 
drop target. The rails and ramps seem particularly good at slowing down the ball before it comes back to the flippers. 
It is also a "drain hog" with no easy shots and viciously efficient outlanes. The playfield artwork portrays various 
characters from the film including Lucy, the groveling Renfield and young Dracula. In addition it contains various bits 
of 3D gothic horror scenery such as Dracula's castle, coffin and a graveyard. The coffin is cool but contains an ugly 
plastic Dracula behind smoked glass. Luckily you can't see him most of the time but he lights up as Drac speaks. 
In-lanes-one can be lit for "ramp lights 2X" and the other for lights "mystery" that's then collected at the tunnel. 
Out-lanes-these are of the thin metal type from which there is no return. They award extra ball and special. The 
slingshots are in the usual place.
Plunger-The electronic/auto type that is also used to move balls around during the game.
Right Orbit-is actually a half orbit and used for the skill shot, to feed the rollovers and to spell out "V-I-D-E-O". 
At the end is a drop target with a sinkhole behind it where the ball locks during video mode.
Rollover lanes-the typical three with lamps steered by the flipper buttons. They award end of ball bonus X.
Coffin ramp/Coffin lock-This is a tightish ramp between the orbit and jet bumpers that leads to the left flipper and 
is good at taking the pace off the ball. The front part of the ramp can rise up to allow entry to a sinkhole known as 
"the coffin lock". From there the balls are ejected through a habitrail to the bumpers.
Coffin-This is a plastic coffin above and to the left of the Coffin ramp entrance. It contains Dracula and lights up 
when he speaks. It has two blue lights on top that indicates how many balls are locked.
Dungeon-a sinkhole that is tucked under the scenery above the right inlane.
Bumpers-There is three of them in the upper area of the table below the rollovers.
Targets-There are two banks of three targets-one central and the other on the left of the playfield. Associated lamps 
flash when the targets are active and they are used to light castle locks at the castle ramp. 
Asylum-a sinkhole on the left of the playfield that can't be shot for directly from the flippers. The ball must either 
fall or bounce in.
Castle (left) ramp-The big ramp on the left that feeds back to the right flipper. Balls can loop straight around or can 
lock by being diverted into the castle lane where they are held for castle multiball.
Mist lane-This is the path that the ball takes during mist multiball to get from one side of the playfield to the other. 
When working the path of the ball is lit from below as the ball "floats" across the playfield-ace feature! The ball is 
normally held behind one of two gates at either end of the lane with nothing visible unless it is in action. 
Tunnel- A sinkhole at the end of a short lane and to the left of the jet bumpers. It returns the ball to the left 
inlane. There are four lights/awards collected here: mystery award, mist multiball, extra ball and castle Jackpot.
Misc. lamps-These include those that spell D-r-a-c-u-l-a across the lower part of the playfield and show your progress 
towards coffin jackpots, three lights that indicate which multiballs are active, plus "shoot again" (extra ball) and 
"Love never dies" (ball saver). The last two are between the flippers. Quotes of "Everlasting love" or  "Our love is 
stronger than death" confirm that your ball has been saved. Garry Oldman manages to make the two words 
"Evv-vvverr-laasst-tingg-Lovvve" seem like a long sentence. 

GAMEPLAY.

Dracula abandoned the typical 90's gameplay of working through various modes in favor of progressively heading towards 
one, two or even all three multiballs. It is possible to start multiple multiballs and double or triple your scoring 
potential. The game has its own pace and can't be hurried. It starts slowly but with patience and a bit of luck should 
explode into action later (see tactics). Sometimes you are reduced to a frustrated spectator as the ball rolls around 
and through the rollovers, then bumpers, down the playfield and out of the outlanes (aaargh). Dracula is a 4 ball game. 
Note that my Dracula is set to medium (Euro) operator settings but the game adapts to player skill and changes its 
settings regularly.
Skill-shot-shoot the ball to hit the drop target when the middle gargoyle is lit. Gargoyles are displayed on the dot 
display and playfield back panel. The left face scores start at 500k, the right face 100k. A successful shot on the 
middle face advances video mode and awards scores that start at 1m then gradually advance to 5m. 
Video mode-is advanced by shots into the right orbit. Scores ranging from 100k to 5m are also awarded. When all lights 
are lit entering the hole behind the drop target at the end of the orbit starts video mode. Wolves howl and advance in 
the dot display from either the left or right and are shot using the appropriate flipper button. This is fairly easy on 
the 1st wave but note that there are a limited number of bullets and it becomes more difficult at subsequent levels. 
Success means awards from starting at 10m and rising at 5m intervals to 25m.You also get a bonus of 10m or less 
depending on number of bullets you use. The completion of the 2nd wave awards an extra ball!
Dungeon, rats and specials-3 shots into the dungeon starts "rats" or lights extra ball at the outlane. Try to kill as 
many rats as possible for points by hitting any switch. Subsequent "rats" are started every 5 dungeon shots. There are 
typically 19 rats to kill and killing them all can award 13m+ and rat bonus.
Asylum-"Lives, I need lives for the Master". This sinkhole is where the groveling "Renfield" is kept prisoner and 
falling into it awards 5m (also see Easter eggs). 
Target banks & castle multiball-hitting the outer two targets and then the middle one on either target bank, lights the 
Castle lock at the left ramp for a timed period. Shooting the ramp will now lock the ball at the "castle". Repeat until 
you achieve three locks and then 3 ball-castle multiball starts. During multiball you must re-lock a ball in the castle 
and then shoot the tunnel to get the jackpot and locking two balls doubles the jackpot! Castle jackpot values start at 
15 and are increased by the jet bumpers to 25, 35 and 50m. Animation shows beautiful vampire babes with their hair 
blowing in the wind. At first they whisper sweet nothings in your ear but get a bit bloodthirsty and loose their good 
looks once multiball begins. When you collect the jackpot the display shows a gorgeous vamp looking a bit distressed. 
The moral of this tale is obvious "never trust vampire babes"! 
Right ramp & Coffin Multiball-Shots up the right ramp score and advance the lit values of 500k, 1m, 1.5m, 2m and 2.5m. 
After 2.5m the front of the ramp lifts to allow balls to be locked in the coffin lock for 3 ball-coffin multiball. After 
locking three balls coffin multiball starts and you need to spell/light the D-r-a-c-u-l-a letters by hitting the coffin 
lock. This is accompanied by bloody animation and hair raising sounds as a stake is driven further through Drac's heart 
with each letter spotted-yuck! Spelling Dracula will finish him off and extract the best from the sound system. You 
collect 
jackpots starting at 20m and rising to 100m at 20m a time with three balls in play.
Left ramp, mist multiball and extra ball-three shots up the left ramp start "bats" which can then be lit at 10 shot 
intervals. You must aim to hit switches as quickly as possible to scare them away and get a "bat bonus" that counts 
down from 50 to 2m. The bonus is worth having as it carries from ball to ball. Mist multiball and extra ball are lit 
and collected from the tunnel-initially after 5 and 12 ramp shots and then at regular intervals depending on operator 
settings. 
Mist starts with Dracula summoning the wind followed by a single ball floating mysteriously across the playfield. You 
must then aim to hit and free the ball with the one you already have in play to begin a 2-ball multiball. Major shots 
are worth 10m and targets score 250k. A poor shot means you can end up with 2 balls floating across the table or that 
your ball dislodges the 2nd ball but sticks to the magnet in its place. The game always sorts itself out though and a 
good hit that is not too straight will guarantee success.
Multi-multiball-is the key to high scores and the only time you can end up with all four balls on the table. You need 
to rack up the appropriate number of shots on the ramps so that the multiballs are ready to start together. Once 
started this can make the difference between a 300m and B+ score. Major shots tend to be worth 20 or 30m (depending 
if 2 or 3 multiballs are running) plus jackpots etc. In addition the game sounds and display will reward you by going 
wild with screams, blood, bats, rats and poor Dracula being spiked. It's enough to make the hairs on the back of your 
neck stand on end and an extraordinary pinball experience. In addition the game shouts out scores awarded for some of 
the major shots e.g. "Thirrrrty million" so that you know when you are doing well. At times the sounds and display will 
struggle to keep up with the action on the playfield.
Mystery-The right return lane lights the tunnel for a mystery award such as extra ball, points, locks, video mode, 
bonus X etc. Mystery may well be lit permanently at the start of the game (depending on the operator settings) but 
usually times out after 10 seconds.
End of ball/game bonus-with good bats, rats and bonus X this can be quite substantial and carries from ball to ball!

TIPS & TACTICS. 

"Your struggles are futile". To get big scores you must go for multi-multiball and try to keep the balls under control 
as much as possible. The latter may seem obvious but balls drain easily in this game and you don't get many second 
chances. 
I must admit to having increased the ball saver setting from 2 to 5 seconds on my game as this at least allows me to 
bring the ball under control before the saver times out. Danger areas are everywhere but the center targets and lower 
side areas of the playfield are especially dangerous and if you don't make the left ramp shot you can expect to loose 
the ball straight down the middle. 
Catching is vital but tricky as the ball can easily roll back up the inlane and out the outlane (aargh!). The ball can 
be passed from right to left flippers by shooting the tunnel or visa versa the dungeon if you find bounce passing 
difficult. You should be able to catch balls ejected from the dungeon on the right flipper without any problem and 
continually loop both ramps with a bit of practice. This is vital if you are going to prepare all the multiballs to run 
at the same time. 
Collecting extra balls, mystery etc. at the tunnel is reasonably safe as the ball is ejected to the left flipper. Video 
and targets are best aimed for during multiball or when the ball saver is active as shooting these in normal play means 
you loose control of the ball and run the risk of Dracula gaining the upper hand.
I find it easiest to start either mist or coffin multiballs first but it's best not to be "picky" in case you loose the 
ball (or game) in the process. During multiball I try to keep looping the left ramp. This will keep awards lit at the 
tunnel and enable you to lock balls at the castle lock via the left ramp. Locking a ball or two gives you clearer shots 
with the balls that remain in play.
My usual game plan would go something like this:
1. Shoot the tunnel to collect mystery. Then continually loop the coffin ramp until the coffin is open and a couple of 
balls are locked so that multiball is ready to go.
2. Continually loop the left ramp until Mist and mystery are lit, ignore bats and pick up any castle locks when lit.
3. Start mist multiball at the tunnel followed by coffin multiball and pick up castle locks until castle multiball 
starts. 
By now major shots are worth "Thirrrty million!"
4. Keep shooting the left ramp and coffin lock, watch for the mist light at the tunnel and start mist multiball over 
again, scare bats, kill rats, collect mystery, castle locks, video, extra balls, castle jackpots, spike Dracula, more 
multiballs etc. etc. yes, yes, yes! "Oops sorry" I got a bit carried away there as it does get exciting but I should 
add that the plan often fails around stages 2 & 3.
It's critical that the machine is in good working order. My machine arrived with a couple of missing rubbers and a weak 
flipper that made it unplayable so it was no wonder that the previous owner had problems. Weak flippers mean you will 
never make the ramp shots! 
If all else fails try wearing a cross and hang some garlic nearby-who knows it may help!

EASTER EGGS.

During the game Dracula's eyes often appear in the display and look around. Press the fire button when his eyes cross 
for 20 a point bonus and a picture of Fluffy the vampire.
During the asylum animation hit both flipper buttons. This awards a 5m bonus and alternative animation of Renfield 
being slammed against his cell bars-nice animation but horrid!

AWARDS. 

You can get your name in lights for the highest number of loops (ramps) per game, as well as for high scores.
The animation awarded for a replay is great as Dracula and Mina waltz around in the display.

CONCLUSION.

Dracula is one of the most exciting games I have played. The term multiball mania could have been invented for this 
game and it has the quality sound and features to make the most of the experience. The pace, concentration and 
planning needed for success seems to fit Dracula's dark theme perfectly. It is an intense, atmospheric and 
unpredictable game that draws you in and keeps you coming back for more.
It is notable even now, ten years on for its dual volume/quality sounds, red display, mist multiball and 
multi-multiball game play. Although I like Dracula I couldn't recommend it for someone with space for only one 
machine, as it can be frustrating and is not a game for bad losers or beginners despite its simple playfield. 
Another consideration is that I have heard (from one who knows) that it can be a pig to work on as minor faults can 
lead to a playfield strip down. I only have room for a few pins at home and Dracula has me hooked so will be staying 
put for a while yet. It will suit those with skill, that like a challenge and are into horror.
So to return to the question "is Dracula evil or just misunderstood?" I think it's a bit of both. The game isn't 
unfair, just unforgiving and more exciting because of it so dim the lights crank up the volume and concentrate but 
remember that the fight against evil is never an easy one!

"Blood". is a precious thing in these times"-end of game!

Credits-William's/Dracula operator's manual & Kevin Martin's rule sheet. 

Suggestions for customising your Dracula.
1. Replace the Dracula in the coffin with a scarier one from a model shop-you can always substitute a playmobile figure 
instead. If you cover it with enough fake blood no one will notice the difference.
2. Place a small amount of damp earth in the bottom of the cabinet to give the game an authentic smell-add a few worms 
if you're feeling particularly horrible.
3. Smear the edges of the centre plastic with fake blood so that it appears to be dripping onto the playfield.
4. Take out a speaker and grill to allow bats to set up home in your machine.
5. Hang garlic and crosses around the machine. This will confirm to your family & friends that you have finally flipped 
and should discourage them from interrupting your game.

These are all practical suggestions but never never reconnect the mysterious "switch sixteen" if disconnected or the 
consequences could be truly horrible!

Eddie Mole 01/01/03.