Say the magic words — Gottlieb’s 1975 Abra Ca Dabra is an electromechanical single-player conjuring up a wizard-and-magic theme, designed by Jeff Brenner with art by the masterful Gordon Morison. With reel scoring, a confirmed run of 2,937, and a charming half-moon credit window, it’s a handsome mid-’70s woodrail machine that hides a surprisingly deep, drop-target-driven strategy behind its magical facade.
The strategy is genuinely rewarding. The heart of the game is the pair of five-bank drop targets: hitting the drop target with the light lit behind it scores the bonus value — up to a juicy five thousand — rather than the normal five hundred, so a sharp player always targets the lit one. Once all the drops are lit, hitting the central bullseye standup resets them so you can keep racking up points, and nudging up top will usually knock down the bottom-half drops. Advance the bonus value either by completing 1-2-3-4 or by clearing all ten drops and braving the center target. The seasoned wisdom on the plunge is to aim for the 2 or 3 lane, since 1 and 4 carry a higher risk of a straight-down-the-middle drain.
Abra Ca Dabra is a smartly designed Gottlieb that packs real depth into its magical package, with that lit-drop bonus scoring giving a thoughtful player a clear, satisfying objective to optimize. Morison’s art brings the wizardry to life, and the reset-and-repeat drop mechanic rewards accuracy and patience. For the collector who loves EM strategy with a bit of enchantment, it’s a wonderful find. Target the lit drops, reset at the bullseye, and conjure up a big score. And above all, as the veterans wryly advise — don’t drain. Abracadabra, and let the magic flow.