Sid & Al's Incredible Toons (1993)

Sid & Al's Incredible Toons is a spin-off of The Incredible Machine series. It features cartoon characters and items instead of pseudo-realistic contraptions, but the goal is the same: to build hilarious machines reminiscent of the pictures of Rube Goldberg. Sid Mouse and Al E. Cat have probably never heard of Tom & Jerry, but they’re just as single-minded: any means to hurt the adversary is a good one. They get plenty of means in Incredible Toons. Around 100 puzzles need to be solved, each one a 2D machine of which crucial parts are missing. The player's task is to choose useful objects from a separate window, position them on the screen and start the machine to see if it’s working. A simple example: a piano hanging from a rope needs to be dropped on Al. To accomplish this, you place open scissors next to the cable and drop a ball on them - voila, the rope is cut, Al crushed. However, most puzzles are far more complicated; for example, the player might first have to lure Al under the piano with a fish, which needs to be transported to the right location by conveyor belts. The puzzles involve a score of contraptions, ranging from simple ropes and pulleys to balloons, trapdoors, catapults, bombs, electrical hairdryers, and motors. Sid and Al are accompanied by several other cartoon characters, such as the lady elephant Eunice who will toss things around, or the pet dragon Bik that ignites objects with his fiery breath. Gameplay is spiced up with cartoon animations -- Al chasing Sid is a sight to remember. If the player has solved all of the puzzles, the player can build own challenges with the comfortable editor. Oh, be sure to learn Sid & Al’s lessons well -- you never know when you need to get rid of a mouse with nothing but some cheese, a trapdoor and an anvil.

• Release Date: January 1, 1993
• Developer: Sierra On-Line