Everything in Pinball Arcade is achieved by moving the white cross with the Z, X, : and / keys and the space bar.

There is a specimen board on the tape after the main program. Select "Load" and follow instructions to load.

Select "Play" to operate the game using Z and / keys for flippers and space bar to compress the spring. Press P for next ball. ESCAPE returns to the control menu.

Select build to either alter or build a board. Any of the six pages of shapes can be used by selecting the "Page" option. Simply manipulate the cross over the shape required, press the space bar the move to the position at which the shape is required. Press the space bar again to 'drop' the shape into position. To remove a shape, 'drop' into right-hand box.

Select "Score" or "Bounce" to change value, moving cursor to shape and 'fixing' with space bar. Press U or D to change and space bar to release.

Select "Tilt" to alter the tilt of the table, using U or D.

Select "Flip" to alter the flippers using U or D to alter the response.

Select "Save" to save your current board to tape, following instructions.

Page 1 and 2 are Bumpers. Bounce and score can be altered.
Page 3 are Wires.
Page 4 are Slings. Speed of release and score can be changed with bounce and score options.
Page 5 and 6 are Targets. Bumbers in this section light up when all numbers/letters are hit, giving a bonus. Both the score and bounce can be altered for the bumpers. The score of the numbers and the letters can also be altered.