Contraption Zack is a Mindscape creation that was produced by Presage Software Incorporated. It was released in the early nineties. It is a puzzle solving based action/strategy game that plays from the third person perspective. It was made available for the personal computer running the MS-DOS operating system and the Amiga.
Contraption Zack is nothing if not interesting. The story begins with Contraption Zack’s first day on the job at the Gadget Company. He is basically a repairman, but being a rookie, is subject to pranks and jokes by his coworkers.
The first thing that happens is that someone hides his tools. It is really hard to fix machinery and keep the factory in good running order without tools, so Zack has to pause in his action to find them.
You will control Contraption Zack as he ambles around the plant. He will have to solve many puzzles in order to reach his tools and fix machines. Some of them are inventory based and others are more logical. He will also have to use his wits (or yours) to bypass the nasty pranks and traps that have been laid for him. Again, these are in the form of puzzles.
There are a lot of hazards
that come naturally with the factory, also. You will get flung half way across the screen when you step on giant springs and you can walk over big buttons for some pretty interesting results.
The game can be saved which is a very good thing. It does not save from the exact spot where you saved it, but places Contraption Zack back at the beginning of an area. You will be forced to replay some of the puzzles if you have to reload, but the areas are pretty compact and you will be able to fly through the repeated spots because you should already know what you are supposed to do. It is possible to miss something in a level that you will need later. You can’t return to previous levels once you pass them, so you will be forced to reload the game at an earlier area. Hence, it is good to save in multiple files, unless you are really sure of your capabilities.
This is a clever little game. It isn’t going to put you on the edge of your seat or addict you so badly that you start missing lessons or ignoring your children, but it is fun and even funny in places. It is a casual play that won’t take too long to finish, but it is still definitely solid.
