GRAPHICS SOUND CONTROL FRUSTRATION FUN FACTOR OVERALL

NES 1 Player Adventure/RPG Dave and Sandy are a couple of teenagers in love. One day a crazy Dr. Fred takes Sandy away and into his basement to use her brain for world domination. What would possess such a thing? Well, look at that, it's a meteor! It landed 20 years ago in the mansion lawn and has taken over Dr. Fred since then. How will Dave save his girlfriend from the horror of Dr. Fred? He asks 6 of his friends to help him out on his quest through the Edsel Mansion, known to us as Maniac Mansion. Will you save Dave's girlfriend or let her brain be sucked dry by Dr. Fred and the meteroite? Plot: The game begins the introduction and then leads you to a title screen where you must choose from the teenagers listed, forcing to choose Dave because ... well, he's the hero of this game! Your goal is to navigate the mansion, gaining items such as a can of Pepsi, batteries for the flashlight, and even a hamster! These items can be bartered between the three teenagers and must be used accordingly to advance the plot along. While on the way, you must avoid the Edsion family which consists of Dave, Edna, and of course Dr. Fred. Also watch out for the green and purple tentacle! They are also roadblocks in your journey. There are several endings to this game with each combination of teenagers, but a experienced gameplayer should be able to complete this game in around 2-3 hrs if they know where everything is. Sound: Probably one of the better sound selections out there for a video game. You get to hear the CD players of each character, but having to play the game for long periods of time can lead to having the song embedded in your mind becoming taken over by that same meteroite that Dr. Fred was. Did Jaleco and LucasFilms plot out to make the kids of the early 1990s into zombies? I thought Pee Wee's Playhouse did that already. Graphics: They are a lot better than its PC predecessor. While not the best thing on the planet, it isn't something to clamor about. Challenge: It isn't that hard to find one ending, but rather the REAL challenge lies in discovering all the endings to this great game. The chances of having more than one character becoming deceased is unlikely since you'll learn not to do something stupid like that again, but it will end up that the best thing to do is start over unless you gave all your belongings to another of the group before he/she dies. Gameplay: It's pretty much the same exact thing as the PC so that's a downside. The idea of point-clicking your way through can cause valuable time and those seconds can count when you're attempting to run away from an Edison. A good tip is to keep your arrow at the edge of the screen and furiously hit the A button in order to escape. ......BOTTOM LINE: This game would be recommended to kids who want to learn the basics of a RPG. While it isn't officially labeled as one, the idea is there: gaining items to further devolop the plot, talking to people and reading literature to gain information, and thinking sarcophagus porn ... haha. Overall, it's a great game to introduce to young children that will give them comprehension skills that could apply to word problems and social experiences in everyday life. Don't blame me if they buy a hamster! -LordJD