The competition is on a RAMPAGE!

There is word of several new hot products out on the market or in the
distributor sampling stage at the moment.

Probably the hottest item is the new Williams video, PREDATOR.  This is a game
that links four separate cabinets together.  The distributor I spoke to refer-
red to one cabinet being the "master" and the other three as being "slaves";
I'm not sure if this refers to the one master cabinet as being the brains that
drives the others, or if it has something to do with the space-themed game
play.  I checking with some other sources to see if I can find out any further
information.  Operator price is said to be $7000-8000 for the full four-game
system.

Capcom is testing a new game called SPEED RUMBLER (combination of Commando and
Gunsmoke).  According to the testing operator, initial earnings look quite good.
It is on test at an arcade in Scotts Valley.

ACTION FIGHTER the new Sega Spy Hunter rip off may be of special interest to
the Future Vette team.  The player changes vehicles between a car, boat,
helicopter and a motorcycle.  Weapons to use include: mines, flamethrower and
more.  Action Fighter has a new steering controller similar to our flight
controller (but using cheaper components).  There is a foot pedal for
acceleration.

Very positive collection reports continue to come in on Bally/Midway's RAMPAGE.
This is the three-player game that Mary sent out information on earlier.  In one
location the game made $386 in 3.5 days (Time Out in Laurel, MD), the next-best
game was Gauntlet's full-week take of $369.  At a Golfland in southern CA,
Rampage made $637 for its first full week, $585 for its second (Super Sprint has
been averaging about $500 in this location as the #2 game).

That's all for now!                               --Linda

...further information on Williams' PREDATOR:  From two different sources, the
game play looks OK only.  One person said that it appears to be quite difficult,
especially the concept of playing against another player who is on a different
game (remember Subs?).  Each of the four cabinets is named after a bird (Hawk,
Eagle, etc.) and the spaceships are bird-like.  There is a radar screen,
similar to Defender, that players use to find the other players in the game.  II
assume from the descriptions that I have be given that it is a space dogfight
type of game where you are supposed to seek out and destroy the other players.
One source said that it is a scrolling space game similar to Sinistar... the
other source said that game play is different from Sinistar...

One game serves as the main frame and the others are slaves to the main (no
relation to game play).  A player can coin up on any of the four units (the main
frame does not have to be in play to have the others work).

Apparently, Williams is in the early testing stages on this game.  The
distributor I spoke to did not give me a price on the unit, he said that
Williams is trying to determine whether to build it as a whole unit or offer it
as a kit.  The price quoted by another operator is $6500-$7500.

The Sega game, Action Fighter, is out at the Sunnyvale Golfland (for those of
you inclined to take a look at it).

                                                   --Linda