Pure Retro Bliss ! (Maniac Mansion)

Name: manhunter

Hello doyoo user, You have to be logged in to use these functions... Login or register Close window

Send message to member

Product:	Maniac Mansion
Date:	09/05/02 (112 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great humour, Easy to pick up, Classic retro graphics

Disadvantages: You can die often at some points, Very old obviously, Difficult to obtain anymore

Surely you remember this? The original graphic adventure from Lucasfilm Games (later to be renamed LucasArts of course)

The story begins with a group of three teenagers standing outside the Mansion of Dr. Fred and his wife Edna. You can choose which three characters you want to feature in the game from a selection after the introduction. Be warned though as they each have their own strengths and special abilities, and only the correct combination of characters will allow you to complete the game. Something of a weakness I suppose, but it becomes pretty obvious early on which of the characters you need to pick (Bernard, who went on to become a star player in Day Of The Tentacle is a good start!)

Despite being eventually followed by a graphically superior big-budget sequel (Day of the Tentacle) and even a TV show spin-off in the United States (true story!), the original Maniac Mansion is still a classic, even today.

Available on all 16-bit machines at the time (PC, Amiga and Atari ST - also Nintendo I think), this game really did set the standards for future adventures. The humour is wacky and spot-on throughout and although you CAN die in this game (something which LucasArts scrapped for the likes of the Monkey Island games), it never fails to entertain.

The graphics and sound are of course extremely basic by today's standards, but the game is still attractive and fun to look at (although the speed of the scrolling can be painful at times!)

Generally speaking, the difficulty of the puzzles is even throughout the game, with a mixture of logic and time-limited challenges. It should keep you busy for at least a few weeks.

Overall then, if you still have an Amiga, or better still have a top-notch PC with an ST / Amiga or old PC emulator installed, track down Maniac Mansion, sit back and enjoy this classic comedy adventure!

Summary: