King Pin Bowling
LANE CONDITIONS
One of the first things to note when you start the game is the lane
conditions. Before you start to bowl you'll be told how the lane is playing
and the effect it will have. Amateurs will flick past this without a second
thought, but it's important to take note of these, as it will have quite an
effect on how you play.
The lanes can alter the performance of the ball quite radically. Some, for
instance, may swing the ball to the right, others to the left and if you're
really lucky, it might play straight. The lane report will tell you which
direction it is moving the ball, but it doesn't tell you how much. On your
first couple of goes note how much the ball is veering off course and alter
things accordingly. To compensate any movement the lane might be causing you
can either change your aim, or add a bit of after spin to the ball.
Another point listed in the lane report is how heavily or lightly waxed the
lane is. If there's a lot of wax on the surface, then the ball will not spin
so much. If there's hardly any wax the ball will obviously spin quite a lot.
The important thing to remember though, is that the amount of wax changes as
the game progresses. As more and more balls are hurtled down the alley, the
wax wears off, meaning the ball will spin more and more the further you get
into a game.
TYPES OF BALLS
The bowling balls are different colours. The colours represent the weight.
Each weight performs in different ways, some spin well, others are fast, and
some are just so heavy they bulldoze through all the pins.
To give you a rough idea of which ball does what, here's a little list;
Orange, 8lb, good for spinning and good speed, but easily deflected. Best
for those tricky splits and when you're after only one pin. Green, 10lb, good
for spinning, average speed and average deflection. Good for little clumps of
pins. Blue, 12lb, average speed, just above average spin and not easily
deflected. Good for all round use. Purple, 14lb, a bit sluggish speedwise and
bad for spinning, but can blaze a path through most pins. Good for blasting
away clumps of pins, or on your first throw. Grey, 16lb, the big `un, slow and
bad for spinning, but once this one gets rolling, nothing's going to stop it.
As with real bowling, the game is all about using each one at the appropriate
time and also finding out which is most suitable to you.
If you're aim is bad, you may want to choose a light ball, so if you send it
off in direction of the gutter you can put on some spin and turn it into a
good shot. If your aim is okay, there's no reason why especially on the first
throw, you can't pick the big `un and blast as many pins away as possible.
Learning how to use deflection is also imortant, especially for split pins.
Generally, if the ball is deflected off course by a pin it's bad news, but
sometimes you may want the ball to deflect so that you can hit another pin. If
this is the case it's best to use a light ball.
GENERAL
As well as the above there's plenty of other handy little tips that can be
picked up through experience. One of the most important is where to position
the bowler to get the potential out of a shot. Sometimes it's best not to line
up straight in front of the pin you're aiming at, but to come at it from the
side, or use a bit of spin.
Also the little arrow that flickers around in front of the bowler goes faster
the more umph you put behind the ball. Sometimes it's best to throw a little
bit slower and get the direction right, rather than just throw as hard as you
can and hope it goes in the right direction.
Even if you do end up aiming it straight at the gutter, don't give up on it.
If you see it veering down one of the sides slap some spin on, by pressing
left or right on the joypad after you let go and it will end up heading for
the pins. Even if you just get one, it's better than nothing.
