Maniac Mansion review - Nintendo Entertainment System

Twenty years ago, a meteorite fell to Earth near Cemetery Lane. This was no ordinary meteorite, however, and the occupants of 2406 Cemetery Lane, who stumbled across the wreckage, were changed into mad, cackling, blue psychopaths!

Worst of all, the meteor-driven loonies have kidnapped Dave's girlfriend Sandy and plan to use her in their dastardly scientific experiments! It's your job to control Dave and two of his pals as they break into the mansion and attempt to save Sandy without being caught by the evil inhabitants.

Maniac Mansion is an adventure which shows the character's escapades side-on. Actions are selected with a cursor, using menus situated on the bottom half of the screen. All you do is select a word or words from the menu, such as pick up, go to or whatever, and point it at a part of the main picture screen. The relevant character will then try to do what he or she has been told. The action is mostly puzzle based, requiring the correct use of an item or action to pass certain stages.

What the Mean Machines staff thought

Maniac Mansion works along almost identical lines to Shadowgate, but the difference between the two is massive. Where Shadowgate was frustrating, obscure, unrewarding and dull, Maniac Mansion is easy-to-operate, lively, addictive and thoroughly entertaining. Presentation is superb (some of the cut-screens are really funny), and the puzzles are all very nicely thought out - there are no death-without-warning situations, so you're encouraged to experiment and explore. The graphics aren't outstanding, and the sound isn't anything to write home about, but Maniac Mansion's excellent, thoroughly rewarding and genuinely funny gameplay more than makes up for its deficiencies, and the end result is a highly original and very addictive adventure that no Nintendo owner should be without.

After last month's dose of role-playing "laughs" in the form of Shining in the Darkness, it's refreshing to see a decent adventure on a console. Maniac Mansion has been around for years, but it's still as playable today as it ever was. Graphically, very little has changed from the C64 version, and only minor improvements have been made in the sound department, but all the old puzzles, characters and jokes are there, including some great intermission screens featuring the evil antics of the Mansion's owners! If you're just a jaded blast-o-rama head, you probably won't reckon much to Maniac Mansion, but if you're looking for an adventure or just a game with a bit more depth, I'd recommend Maniac Mansion.