Gee Bee

Gee Bee is Namco's very first arcade game, which was released in 1978, and licensed to Gremlin for its US manufacture and distribution; it was designed by Toru Iwatani, who would later go on to create Puckman, Pole Position and Libble Rabble. When Iwatani joined up with the company in the previous year, he had originally wanted to design pinball machines for them, but they weren't keen on the idea, so this game and its two resulting sequels (Bomb Bee and Cutie Q, which were both released directly by Namco the year after it) were their compromise - and the table's components are explained below.

Table components

 * 1: Pop Bumpers - 10 points; their point values can be increased to 100 by clearing out the Side Drop Targets.
 * 2: Top Drop Targets - 20 points (first row), 50 points (second row), 100 points (third row); clearing them all out will increase the point value of the Spinner, for every time the ball passes through it and makes it spin around.
 * 3: Side Drop Targets - 20 points (first row), 50 points (second row), 100 points (third row); clearing them all on one side increases the point value of that side's Pop Bumper (and activates the barrier in that side's Drainage Chute). However, once the ball has landed on the barrier in the side's Drainage Chute, it will disappear again.
 * 4: Spinner - 10 points; the point value can be increased up to 100 (by clearing out all thirty Top Drop Targets).
 * 5: Namco Lights - 50 points; lighting up all five of them increases the bonus multiplier. In the Gremlin licensed version of the game, these components are changed to Gremlin logos - which look like 'G's with dots in them.
 * 6: Pocket Drop Targets - 20 points (first/second), 50 points (third/fourth), 100 points (fifth); clearing all of them out on one side (like all fifteen of those Side Drop Targets) activates that barrier in that side's Drainage Chute.
 * 7: Bonus Multiplier - You will receive this on each time your balls go out of play; it can be increased by lighting up all five of the Namco Lights (or if you are playing the Gremlin licensed version of the game, Gremlin logos).
 * 8: Drainage Chutes - You can activate the barriers in these by clearing out all fifteen of the Side Drop Targets and all five of the Pocket Drop Targets.
 * 9: Paddles - Use the rotary controller to direct them across the bottom and middle of the screen; once your ball goes out of play, you will receive your bonus multiplier. You may also receive two "Replays" (free credits) on reaching two predetermined point values depending on how the cabinet is set.