Mixed Up Fairy Tales

Mixed-Up Fairy Tales was a graphic adventure game released by Sierra On-Line in 1991. It made for younger players than those of Sierra's King's Quest or Space Quest series. In it, the player controls a child - selected from one of six and named at will by the player - transported to the land of make believe by the magical dragon Bookwyrm, who needs their help unknotting the mess that's become of five famous fairy tales; Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Bremen Town Musicians, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Snow White thanks to the machinations of a spiteful troll named Bookend. For instance, the prince can't find Cinderella because her glass slipper was stolen, Jack's axe is missing so he can't chop down the beanstalk, etc. Bookwyrm, who had the book all the stories were recorded in, could always be consulted for directions to the player's next objective when he or she got stuck.

The game has a simplified interface different from other Sierra games of the period; instead of several different icons to move the character, look at objects, places and people, operate scenery fixtures, or talk to other characters, Mixed-Up Fairy Tales has only a general icon to interact with the environment and another to look at the player's surroundings. The player cannot "die", and it is impossible to reach a point where onward play is not possible because of lacking an important item or piece of information. The game saving feature was simplified as well, with each game saved automatically when the player quit and merely labeled by their character's name.

Although it allowed children to interact with the characters of their favorite fairy tales, most of the stories' major events would happen off-screen, with the player's movement limited to a four-by-four screen area.