Fooswall (Gremlin Industries, Inc., 1976)

Design and Concept: H. Frank Fogleman    Graphics: Lonnie Pogue

Fooswall is the only soccer-themed wall game known to have been produced.  Gremlin Industries received a patent on this game.  The remote controller is one of the more elaborate among wall games.

Two coins are required for a two-player game.  One coin, however, can be used to allow one player to challenge the computer.

This is a timed game.  The graphic timer in the upper left corner is initially illuminated.  As time progresses, segments of the graphic sequentially turn off, indicating the amount of time remaining.  The game duration is 4 periods, and is adjustable between 1 and 3 minutes.  In the event of a tied score in regulation, an overtime period, requiring greater skill, would begin.

Like the earlier Play Ball game, Fooswall has a skill-level selection switch, allowing for "pro" or "amateur" play.  Fooswall sound effects include sounds for ball hits, as well as crowd cheers and music.

Gremlin introduced the "G-Scan" self-test sequence with this game, which was designed to assist in diagnosing game problems.  Another innovation was the anti-cheat design of the coin box.  Unlike many other games, which required only two wires and a SPST NO coin switch to begin a game. Gremlin introduced a circuit requiring three wires and a SPDT coin switch.  This greatly reduced the possibility of cheating by shorting the coin input wires on a typical wall game.  On the Gremlin games, as one circuit closed, the other had to open, or the input was rejected.  The timing had to be just right also - the pulse length had to match that of a quarter tripping the coin switch.  The coin wires were also moved to a connector inside the game, in order to better protect the game from cheaters.

Fooswall is a Gremlin "black" game.