The Music Machine

How to play The Music Machine online

• Move Stevie and Nancy (a paddle game; the emulator switches to paddle mode automatically): left and right arrow keys
• Start the next wave: Space bar (the paddle’s red button)
• Start a new game: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
• One or two players: F11 (the console’s Select switch) until a “2” appears for two players
• Easy or hard game: F4 toggles the Player 1 difficulty switch (F9 for Player 2)

Gameplay

The Music Machine, a colourful contraption from the record, moves along the top of the screen and drops symbols. Below, Stevie and Nancy carry a basket between them to catch what falls. Each symbol stands for a good character quality: a snail for patience, a lamb for gentleness, a mustard seed for faith, a blue musical note for joy, a white harp for peace, a gift for kindness, an angel for goodness and a stop sign for self-control. Together with love, these are the nine qualities the Bible lists as the “fruit of the Spirit”.

The villain, Mr. Pims, walks under the machine and throws down little creatures called Pudgeons. Catch one and it rips your basket. Once you have caught at least one of each of the eight symbols, a heart appears for love. It floats down gently instead of falling straight, and missing it also costs you a basket. Each caught heart plays a short song, and the next wave brings more Pudgeons.

You have three baskets and win one back every 10,000 points. Over ten levels, a symbol rises from 10 to 90 points and a heart from 100 to 2,500, while misses and Pudgeons cost points. Difficulty switch A gives the easier game and B starts at level 3; each player has their own switch.

Tips

• Don’t chase everything. Missing a symbol only costs a few points, but catching a Pudgeon costs a basket. Stay still when one is falling near you.
• Collect all eight types. The heart only appears once you have one of each, so go for the kind you are missing.

The story behind The Music Machine

The Music Machine record came out in 1977 and was created by Tony Salerno, with songs by the Christian children’s group Candle. In the record, the machine could make up a song about anything Stevie and Nancy put into it.