Ball drop game

1. An amusement device comprising:

a housing for enclosing a playing field;

at least one target disposed on the playing field, the target oriented for interaction with a vertically dropped projectile;

a prize associated with the at least one target;

a pick-up device within the housing including a reciprocating member for lowering the pick-up device to the playing field to retrieve the projectile and raising the pick-up device above the playing field and above the at least one target, the pick-up device suspended from a rail arrangement that provides for four-way horizontal movement over the playing field;

player controls including a first control for maneuvering the pick-up device in a horizontal plane above the playing field, and a second control for releasing the projectile;

wherein an objective of the amusement device is to position the pick-up device over a target and release the projectile to hit the target to win the prize; and

wherein the target includes a mechanism for automatically ejecting the ball from the target after a successful hit.

2. The amusement device of claim 1 , wherein a floor of the playing field is sloped in two directions to gravitationally direct the projectile to a common location after the projectile reaches the floor of the playing field, and wherein the pick-up device is programmed to pick up the projectile at the common location to begin each game.

3. The amusement device of claim 2 , wherein the projectile is a sphere.

4. The amusement device of claim 1 , wherein the target is a ring.

5. The amusement device of claim 1 , wherein the target is a plate.

6. The amusement device of claim 1 , wherein the target is a bowl.

7. The amusement device of claim 1 , wherein the target is a cup.

8. The amusement device of claim 1 , wherein the target includes a sensor for detecting when the target is hit by the projectile.

9. The amusement device of claim 1 , further comprising a microprocessor for receiving a signal from the target when the target is successfully hit by the projectile.

10. The amusement device of claim 9 , further comprising an alarm that sounds when the target is successfully hit by the projectile.

11. The amusement device of claim 1 , wherein the playing field has a trap door that is actuated when the target is successfully hit to drop the prize into a collection bin where it can be retrieved by a player.

12. The amusement device of claim 1 , where the first control is a joystick.

13. The amusement device of claim 1 , wherein the pick-up device is a vacuum mechanism.

14. The amusement device of claim 1 , wherein the pick-up device is a mechanical claw.