Pinball Machines are available in a wide range and promise unlimited action and challenges. Most machines have all the regular features like ramps and flippers, with a few differences here and there. One has to master the correct and most effective use of the controls to be able to utilize them to their fullest extent.

Pinball machines that have withstood the test of time are those that have people coming back to play them over and over because the attraction proves too much to ignore. The Simpson's machine is an example. Technology plays a large part in the manufacture of these machines. Some even have multi-player functions for a group of players. Sounds and graphics are created to perfection giving the player an authentic feel of the arcades of yesteryears. Many are jazzed up with LED lights or infrared lights.

What is also taken into account is the tilt factor of the game, which is a debated issue. On the one hand, you have French players who are not happy with the very tilt-sensitive American machines. An interesting point to note is that the French are very good at nudging. The Americans, on the other hand, do not perform to their fullest as they are unaware of the full potential of the machines.

The earlier machines were actually tagged as boring. Students of engineering at various levels were then given a project to improve them, and they came up with some interesting concepts. Using the same old machines, games like the Comet Commander were introduced. They had mechanical challenges that were never before thought of. Electrical engineering students introduced new lighting excitement to the games. And pinball machines, which challenged the players, found a lot of takers.

Pinball is on a kind of seesaw right now - on its way out in some states and a rage in others. But once the bug bites, it's an addiction few want to leave. All it needs is quick reflexes, and it can keep you suitably occupied for hours.