Eater Targets

Targets that capture or “eat” the ball on contact, pulling it into the playfield mechanism rather than deflecting it away. Listed in IPDB records as Ball Eater targets, these devices combine the scoring function of a Targets with the ball-trapping behavior of a Kick-Out Holes or Sinkholes. Bally featured Ball Eater targets on Dungeons & Dragons (1987), where two eater targets added an element of jeopardy by temporarily removing the ball from play. Data East’s Secret Service (1988) also employed the mechanism, using a single eater target to feed a ball lock.