Bally’s Old Chicago, released in 1976, conjures the gangland glamour of the Prohibition-era Windy City in a brisk, well-built electromechanical package. Designed by Greg Kmiec with artwork from the talented hands of Dave Christensen and John Youssi, it has a couple of distinctive quirks: there are no slingshots at all, but a generous five pop bumpers keep the ball lively, and crossing 99,990 points triggers a celebratory buzzer as the score reels roll over.

The scoring philosophy is a clean build-and-collect loop. You hit the spinner to spell out “Old Chicago” and build your bonus, then cash it in repeatedly at the center saucer — so the winning pattern is to fatten the bonus and then milk that saucer for all it’s worth. There’s a lit top lane worth 3,000 and two bonus advances, toggled by the playfield rubbers, that rewards careful nudging. Best of all, the bonus doubles on balls three and five, so a patient player saves the big collection for those high-value frames.

Fast-playing and satisfying despite its straightforward rules, Old Chicago is a fine example of mid-70s Bally craftsmanship with a great sense of theme. For collectors who enjoy the era’s build-the-bonus gameplay and atmospheric artwork, it’s an enjoyable and characterful table well worth a few games.