"The first ever SCUMM game, is it any good? Damn right it is!"

Maniac Mansion is the birth of SCUMM. If it wasn't for Ron Gilbert, you wouldn't have those classics like Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Max hit the road, Full Throttle. Ron Gilbert didn't make all of those games (he made Maniac Mansion, Monkey Island 1 & 2 and did some work on some other SCUMM games) though. But he did make Maniac Mansion. What makes this SCUMM game stand out? They all stand out really. Well, in this one, you have a mission, to save Dave's girlfriend, Sandy. You can choose 2 other kids to go and save her, in which you can complete the game in many different ways because of this. Also, your kids can die, make it impossible to complete the game, and even blow up the house, which makes them more challenging, but frustrating when you can't stop this from happening.

Graphics - 8/10

For 1988, they aren't the worst thing ever, they are pretty good. The colours are nice, the characters are good, the backgrounds are good. The graphics are pretty good, almost similar to Zak McKracken, but the latter are slightly more better I think. The only thing I don't like, is the fact that the characters heads look ever so slightly bigger then normal, but who cares anyways?

Sound - 6/10

I didn't actually hear much, I heard the main theme, and a couple of bleeps and what have you of the clock ticking, and a siren wailing. That's about it, but whats in there isn't that bad. Not THAT bad.

Gameplay - 10/10

Where Maniac Mansion really shines, is the game play. Most SCUMM games are unique, and the sequel to them are more or less the same, which is fine. Apart from the Maniac Mansion sequel, Day of the Tentacle. Basically, you have 6 (I think) children to choose from, each with their unique abilities, one can fix the telephone in the library, another one can write a manuscript on 10 minutes. Using the characters different skills, and of course, weaknesses, there are many, many ways to complete the game. Also, this is back in the day when you CAN actually die in an Lucasfilm/LucasArts adventure game! Also, your characters can blow the house up, and if YOU do the wrong thing at the wrong time, you can even make the game impossible to complete. This never happened to me luckily. Also, with the residents of the Mansion wandering around, it's pretty cool sneaking through rooms to avoid the people.

Story - 7/10

It's not exactly the best thing ever, but this game is still pretty good without a really cool story. Basically, a meteor fell down to earth, and hit near the Mansion. So, the meteor, decided to make a Zom-b-matic (or something like that) machine to take over Dr. Freds mind, so he could do whatever he wanted him to do. The Meteor is wanted by the Meteor police, and is hiding out. He needs a brain or something, so Dr. Fred kidnaps Sandy, and her boyfriend, comes to save her with his friends (awwwwww).

Overall - 9/10

This game is really good, abit short, but with all the different characters and stuff, it will keep you occupied for awhile. It's a great start from LucasFilm making an Adventure game, and its well worth the time. If your that kind of person, you can download this as abandonware, or you can honestly buy the original copy of ebay or something.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/24/06