Mud, metal and mayhem were the trademarks of Chicago Coin's Demolition Derby arcade game but they left us all hanging without a follow-up to their popular 1977 model. Thankfully, Bally Midway filled the void of vehicular abuse with a four-player, full color console.

Where only two players could play on the original Derby, now four positions were available for all your bestest buddies. The controls included steering wheels, gas pedals and forward/reverse shifters. The players looked down on the arena, which was now a lovely brown to simulate the mud and dirt that are ubiquitous in real demolition derbies. You said a brief prayer, cockily uttered, "May the best man win" and the derby commenced.

There were no alliances and no friendships in the arena. The objective was to be the last car standing amidst a pile of metal wreckage. No mercy. The best way to damage or destroy a car was to continuously ram it in the tender front hood area where the engine resides. To keep your own grill from getting smashed, you could utilize the reverse shifter and back into your opponent's front. Beauty.

Bally Midway included a damage meter for each car that would track its condition throughout the derby. The lower the meter got, the worse shape your car was in, until it exploded in a shower of sparks. The only hope of repairing your vehicle were wrenches and screwdrivers that appeared randomly in the arena and had the power to fix your smoking engine.