There are weird people living in Maniac Mansion: Dr. Fred, a "retired" physician turned mad scientist; Nurse Edna, a former health care professional whose hobbies would make a sailor blush; Weird Ed, a teenage commando with a hamster fetish; and then there's Dead Cousin Ted, and the Tentacle, and somebody - or something - else... And what's a sweet young cheerleader named Sandy doing in Dr. Fred's basement?

Your goal is to direct a team of three local college students (including Sandy's boyfriend Dave) through the mansion to rescue Sandy. As you explore, you'll meet all the strange inhabitants of the mansion, and you'll discover Dr. Fred's ambition to control the world - one teenage at a time.

You'll find that each of the seven teenagers you can choose from has special skills, talents, and weaknesses. And each of the crazy occupants of the mansion has goals and desires that can help or hinder your team, depending on how you handle them. The story - and your approach to rescuing Sandy - will be different depending on which kids you choose and how you interact with the people and things inside the mansion itself.

Each of the possible stories in Maniac Mansion is really a large, complex puzzle made up of scores of smaller puzzles. From time to time, movie-like "cut-scenes" reveal clues about the story and what's going on elsewhere. As you discover the smaller puzzles that make up each story line, you'll find that most will have to be solved in a certain order. There are always several ways to get something done - but of course, there is always a best way. Good luck!

It could have been such a nice day. Zak's favourite movie is on, most of the work on his novel is done, and Sushi seems to have survived her long stay in the sink quite nicely. Still half asleep, Zak gropes for the mailbox key and wanders down the stairs. Wow, a lot of mail again, he thinks to himself. However, next to the usual advertising for Monolith Burger, this time it also includes a letter from the distant Bogota. Suspecting no evil, Zak opens the envelope. As he reads the first few lines, he loses control of his face...