Enter the wizard’s realm — Williams’ Algar is a fantasy solid-state four-player designed by Tony Kraemer with art by the accomplished team of Constantino and Jeanine Mitchell. A genuine rarity with a confirmed run of just 349, it’s a scarce early-’80s Williams that hides a clever, captive-ball-driven strategy behind its magical theme, rewarding the player who learns to play it the right way.
The strategy has a wonderfully counterintuitive core: the veterans advise avoiding the drop targets altogether, and instead working the captive balls while steering the ball back up top to finish the lanes. Completing those top lanes increases your bonus multiplier, the engine of a strong game, while the upper-left saucer resets the captive balls after they’ve been hit and locked — and crucially, resetting them does not reset the value you’ve built up, so a clever player keeps compounding that value. The top-center saucer opens the gate on the right outlane, a handy bit of self-preservation against a drain. It’s a machine that rewards knowing its unusual optimal line rather than just flailing at the drops.
Algar is a fascinating, scarce Williams that gives a strategic player something genuinely different to master with its captive-ball-and-top-lane approach. With only 349 built, it’s a real find for the collector who prizes rarity, and the Mitchells’ art brings its fantasy theme to life. That “avoid the drops, work the captive balls” wisdom makes it a satisfying puzzle to learn, the kind of machine where knowing the right strategy transforms your whole game. Skip the drops, work the captive balls, complete the lanes, and build that multiplier. The wizard rewards the player who knows the secret path. Cast your spell wisely.