Machine Guides

Game History

Tapper is a classic arcade game developed and released by Bally Midway in 1983, with a version featuring the Budweiser beer mascot released the same year. The game was designed by Marc R. Brown and Scott Morrison and was inspired by real-life bartending experiences, particularly the need to serve multiple customers quickly while managing empty mugs.

The game's distinctive cabinet design featured a tap handle controller that players pulled down to serve drinks and slide mugs back to themselves, creating a unique gameplay mechanic that simulated the actual motion of serving beer. Players controlled a bartender who had to serve drinks to patrons across four bars while collecting empty mugs and avoiding them falling off the edge of the bar.

Tapper achieved moderate commercial success, with approximately 5,000 units produced and selling around 4,000 cabinets. The game was later re-released as "Root Beer Tapper" to make it more family-friendly and suitable for non-alcohol-serving locations like pizza parlors and arcades. This version replaced the beer-themed elements with root beer and featured a mountain man character instead of the bartender.

How to Play

Objectives

The main goal of Tapper is to serve drinks to customers and collect empty mugs before they slide off the end of the bar. You play as a bartender who must manage multiple customers across different bars while avoiding obstacles. The game emphasizes time management and quick reflexes in a service-based environment.

Controls

• Tap Handle Controller: Pull down the tap handle to serve drinks to waiting customers
• Joystick: Use the joystick to move your bartender left and right behind the bar

Gameplay

• Starting the Game: Press the Start Button to begin your bartending shift.

• Customer Service: Move behind the bar to position yourself in front of waiting customers.

• Drink Serving: Pull down the tap handle to slide drinks down the bar to customers who have arrived.

• Mug Collection: Collect empty mugs that customers slide back before they fall off the end of the bar.

• Multi-Bar Management: Navigate between up to four different bars, each with its own set of customers.

• Obstacle Avoidance: Dodge obstacles that appear in certain levels, such as dancing patrons or flying objects.

• Tip Collection: Collect tips left by satisfied customers for bonus points.

• Level Progression: Complete increasingly difficult rounds with more customers and faster service requirements.

• Lives System: The game begins with a limited number of lives, with additional lives awarded at certain score thresholds.

• Game Over: The game ends when you lose all your lives by allowing too many mugs to fall off the bar. Your final score is displayed based on customers served and tips collected.