Catch a wave and a little sunburn — Gottlieb’s 1991 Surf ‘n Safari blends a beach-and-amusement-park theme with a genuinely clever light-grid mechanic that doubles as both your objective map and your shot clock. Jon Norris designed it, and with a confirmed run of 2,006 it’s a friendly, summery early-’90s machine whose alphanumeric display and breezy callouts (courtesy of a chatty host named Rodney) give it a sun-soaked personality all its own. Two flippers, three pops, a pair of three-bank drops, and twin up-kickers keep the action moving.

The grid is the brains of the operation. Shoot the slides to advance the lights across it: vertical completion starts modes, while horizontal completion lights the playfield feature listed — and cleverly, that same grid is also a timer, counting down your remaining round time in giant numbers. During multiball, drive the two flashing slides to light the jackpot, collect it on the left ramp, then shoot all the slides to light the super jackpot for the left ramp and repeat the cycle. The wizard-level reward comes from completing the grid horizontally for “light super score,” which lights the right single target for millions and then some. Mind your lit inlanes, which advance a random slide that Rodney will name, and be ready for Pipeline and Rapids to unlight their return inlanes until the next switch hit.

Surf ‘n Safari is a charming, underrated Gottlieb that hides a smart bit of design behind its goofy beach theme. Read the grid, manage its hidden timer, and ride the slides toward that super score. It’s a sunny, satisfying machine for the player who enjoys a good puzzle with their pinball. Hang ten.