When is a pinball machine not a pinball machine? When it's Criss Cross Pop Up, of course! This cabinet game by Chicago Coin took its cues from the simple game of Tic Tac Toe for the entertainment of 1960s youth.

The game started when a player parted with his hard-earned dime and got four balls to shoot one by one out of launcher near the bottom of the cabinet. The launcher could be positioned to shoot the balls at the best angle possible, up towards the backglass. Shooting the ball straight up the middle would most likely place it in a hole in the middle row of the grid; going slightly left or right would shoot the ball in a hole of the corresponding side; aiming the ball to the far right or left of the playfield would land it who knew where--it was a crap shoot.

The player aimed for four different ball arrangements to earn points. Vertical and horizontal formations were worth 30 points, diagonals got you 50 points. The big points came if you managed to form a diamond for 100 points or place a ball in each corner hole for a whopping 150. Guess which was the hardest to do. The balls popped up again automatically after every scoring combination and kids could try their luck again for that elusive diamond.

The actual grid where the balls dropped was located in the back of Pop Up's cabinet and there was a mirror positioned there to show the player how his balls were faring. The game promised and delivered hours of bouncing balls as well as an "anti-cheat proof" front door. Apparently the youth of yesteryear were less trustworthy than the fine young citizens of today.