Introduction: If you've been gaming for any length of time you can't help but have noticed The Incredible Machine, which graced PCs and Macs the world over during the early 90's. The idea was simple, by using a given number of components the user was encouraged to create a kind of complex Heath Robinson contraption to light a candle or perhaps to put a ball in a box. One of the reasons why this game was such a hit was its open-ended design as, while there was one ending, just how you got there was the subject of great debate. There have been many imitators over the years but the DS is perfect for this kind of game and now, thanks to Midway Games, we have Mechanic Master...

GamePlay: There is a story here but as with most puzzlers, it is fairly pointless and as it involves the whole 'Humans versus Aliens' plot we'll leave you to enjoy it when you actually get your hands on the game. The objective here is simple, dispose of the Aliens and you'll be presented with one or a number of different platforms and a variety of different components to place just about wherever you wish. Just as long as the end result is one less Alien to worry about. This could mean setting up a generator, which is linked to a pulley system and attached to a conveyer belt that then forwards a weight onto the head of said Alien. If this sounds like a rather complicated way to get rid of your new found enemy that's because it is and it only gets more complicated (and long-winded) as the game progresses leaving you to spend hours of trial and error gaming before you get it just right.

Another section of the game has a very similar premise but rather than using 'props' you must draw paths using your stylus. This is far more open ended but not nearly as satisfying as the other puzzles. Should you happen to finish theses puzzles you can also create your own and send and receive them with other DS owners, although you'll both require a copy of the game.

Control: This is solely a touch screen experience, which is good as we can't imagine just how painful (and even more long-winded) the whole process would have been if you had to use only the traditional controls.

Graphics: If this game looked as good as it played it would probably have rated as one of the classic DS games to own. Unfortunately the developers don't seem to have spent a great deal of time on the presentation so your various building blocks look like they could have been created for a first generation Gameboy Color title. We are aware that puzzlers do require clarity over anything groundbreaking but we're certain they could have put a little more effort in here.

Sound & Music: Like Touchmaster, it's all about the gameplay and while there's nothing to annoy here, there's also little to shout about.

Dual Screen Use: The first few levels do contain a tutorial of sorts but Mechanic Master, really is all about trial and error so the stylus is perfect for moving your various components around the screen and then just nudging them left or right to get the best results.

Final Comments: You have to wonder why the company that owns the rights to The Incredible Machine hasn't already released this but Mechanic Master more than makes up for this oversight. OK, so the presentation isn't the greatest but the gameplay is solid and genuinely rewarding and with almost 100 puzzles you are going to be playing this for some time and after that there are the various creation tools providing seemingly endless possibilities. If you like this sort of thing then this comes highly recommended and, until someone gets around to an 'official' release, is well worth a look.

Pro:Loads of Puzzles, Great Replay Value.
Con: Very Basic Visuals
Final Score: 7.1

Reviewed by: Andrew Blanchard