# Contraption Zack

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***Contraption Zack*** is a video game from [California](/source/California)-based[2] developer Presage Software. It was published by [Mindscape](/source/Mindscape_(company)) for [MS-DOS](/source/MS-DOS) in 1992, then the [Amiga](/source/Amiga) in 1993. The game involves the player, as Zack, fixing broken machines.[3][4][5]

## Gameplay

*Contraption Zack* casts the player as a rookie repairman at Gadgetco, thrust into chaos on the player's very first day. With tools mysteriously "borrowed" and malfunctions rampant, the player's mission is to outwit the workplace and assert control. The game unfolds across a sprawling six-level, 60-room maze, but navigation alone will not suffice—each room presents a logical puzzle that demands careful sequencing and deduction. No special gear is needed; instead, the player must decipher interactions like buttons that raise or lower colored cones, crafting solutions from deceptively simple mechanics. The modular structure lets the player tackle puzzles one at a time, saving progress between breakthroughs.[6]

## Development

The game was developed by Presage Software, a company founded in 1986.[2]

## Reception

*[PC World](/source/PC_World)* said "Contraption Zack is highly appealing, particularly for short coffee breaks".[6]

## References

1. ["Presage Products - Contraption Zack"](http://www.presage.com/pCZack.html). *[Presage Software](/source/Presage_Software)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/19970614014743/http://www.presage.com/pCZack.html) June 14, 1997 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 26, 2025.

1. ["Overview"](http://www.presage.com/pCZack.html). *[Presage Software](/source/Presage_Software)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/19970614015351/http://www.presage.com/overview.html) June 14, 1997 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 9, 2025.

1. ["Contraption Zack"](https://archive.org/details/computer-game-review-issue-018-january-1993/page/64/mode/2up). *[Computer Game Review](/source/Computer_Game_Review)*. January 1993. p. 64. Retrieved January 26, 2025.

1. Lynch, Dennis (April 30, 1993). ["Brain Busters"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune/172203648/). *[Chicago Tribune](/source/Chicago_Tribune)*. p. 146. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20250512065305/https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune/172203648/) May 12, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 12, 2025. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. Schwabach, Bob (March 29, 1993). ["DOS serves as Boss"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/indian-river-press-journal/172203728/). *[Indian River Press Journal](/source/Indian_River_Press_Journal)*. p. 21. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20250512065823/https://www.newspapers.com/article/indian-river-press-journal/172203728/) May 12, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 12, 2025. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. Goodwin, Michael (June 1993). ["Underground, in a maze, and on the green"](https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA13876913&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-GPS&asid=9b5a57bf). *[PC World](/source/PC_World)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20250125230707/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA13876913&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-GPS&asid=9b5a57bf) January 25, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 26, 2025. – via [Gale Research](/source/Gale_Research)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Contraption Zack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contraption_Zack) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contraption_Zack?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.