Skill Stop Falling Element Game

An amusement game wherein a pointer element attached to a vertically oriented rail is raised to the top of the rail and released by a latch and allowed to fall. A player is provided with a controller that sends a signal to stop the pointer element as it falls from the top of the rail and the player tries to stop the travel of the pointer so it aligns with a selected target region. If the player successfully stops the pointer within a designated target area, a corresponding score is awarded. In embodiments, the location of pointer is detected by an optical sensor and encoder bar, and the system to stop the fall of the pointer includes an electromagnet attached to the pointer. In embodiments, after play, the pointer assembly is returned to the top of the rail by a drive belt that is powered by an electric motor.