Here is my FAQ for the NES game Maniac Mansion. It took me forever, but I finally finished. It has all sorts of neat stuff in it, so check it out. _____________________________________________________________________ --------------------------------------------------------------------- START OF FAQ --------------------------------------------------------------------- MANIAC MANSION NES - FAQ Volume 1.0 BY Christopher James Pepin cpepin1@grfn.org Copyright (c) 1996 by Christopher James Pepin 1/29/96 This FAQ is also available by FTP, courtesy of GamePro magazine's Andy Eddy. Just FTP to ftp.netcom.com and cd /pub/vi/vidgames/faqs. Don't forget to read the INDEX.README file. Since I've always been a great fan of this game, I felt it needed a FAQ of it's own. This is for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) version of the game. The computer versions are a bit different, but if all you need is a hint then this FAQ might be able to help. I will try to include as much as possible about this game in this FAQ, but if you see something incorrect, misleading, or just plain missing then let me know. Additions and/or suggestions are always welcome. It should also be noted that there are at least two different versions of this game out there (not counting prototypes of course.) The first version lets Syd or Razor nuke Ed's hamster in the microwave. The second version, of course, does not allow the hamster to be nuked in the microwave. It should be noted that I only own the first version. I hope to get a copy of the second version in the future. If you've found a neat trick for this game that I don't have listed, let me know. Please include which version of the game you own. There are numerous ways to solve different puzzles in this game. Each of the kids can do something that the other kids can't do. Dave has no special abilities though. Jeff's special ability is his knack at being able to fix phones. Because Bernard can also fix phones, I recommend taking Bernard over Jeff. Also, Jeff has absolutely no ability that will allow the gang to get past the Purple Tentacle. The only kid (other than Dave) who has this handicap. Bernard, on the other hand, does have a way to get past the Purple Tentacle due to his ability to call the Meteor Police. Syd and Razor are essentially the same person since they both have EXACTLY the same abilities. They can both play the piano and nuke the hamster in the microwave. Wendy can write quite well and can rewrite a horrible autobiography. Michael is the only person who can develop film. My personal recommendation is to take Bernard and Wendy. But, no matter which group you take, have fun! WARNING!! TRESPASSERS WILL BE HORRIBLY MUTILATED. and so it begins..... 1.0 List of useful items in the game and what they do. 2.0 Worthless items 3.0 Map of House 4.0 General Questions 5.0 How to kill off kids 6.0 Other stuff 7.0 How to get thrown into the dungeon 8.0 Different ways to get past the Purple Tentacle 9.0 How to get the different endings for the game 10.0 Afterword --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.0 LIST OF USEFUL ITEMS DRIVEWAY AND FRONT PORCH: sign = Displays a helpful warning address sign = If you plan on sending anything through the mail, you need a return address. mailbox = A good place to put a letter or small package. Don't forget the flag. bushes = Hides the grating. grating = A way to get under the house. It's rusted shut though. door mat = Hides the key to the front door. doorbell = The Mailman rings it whenever he delivers something. front door = Use the key under the door mat. key = Unlocks the front door. package = Weird Ed has been expecting this. roll of film = Ed's plans! They need to be developed before you can give them to Ed. UNDER HOUSE: puddle = Use the sponge on it. water valve = Controls the water level in the pool. floor grating = The developing fluid leaked through this. FRONT HALL: right gargoyle head = Try giving it a little push. LIVING ROOM: old radio = Open it up. radio tube = Use this to fix the short-wave radio. cabinet door = Open it up. cassette player = Play tapes on it. glass chandelier = Hides the old rusty key. old rusty key = Unlocks the door to the dungeon. LIBRARY: lamp = Illuminates the situation. phone = Try giving someone a ring loose panel = A blank cassette tape is hidden here. cassette tape = Try recording something on it. KITCHEN: microwave oven = Try boiling some water. faucet = Almost always a good source of water. refrigerator = That can of Pepsi looks good. can of Pepsi = That plant in the den looks thirsty. flashlight = The attic is awfully dark. DINING ROOM: nothing useful PANTRY: grate = The developing fluid drips through it and ends up under the house. bottle of developer= You need this fluid to develop Weird Ed's secret commando plans. glass jar = Good to hold water in. fruit drinks = Give this to Green Tentacle after you give him the waxed fruit and he'll let you pass. SWIMMING POOL: radioactive water = This might make something mutate. ladder = Use this to climb down into the pool pool chair = The radio is sitting on it red button = Press at your own risk! glowing key = Unlocks the padlocks on the outer door of the secret lab. radio = Isn't this thing powered by batteries? gate = This leads to the garage. GARAGE: garage door = Get some muscles. cement slab = This covers the one-way door leading from the Meteor's room out to the garage. water faucet handle= Fixes the water faucet on the shower. Weird Edsel = We have LIFTOFF! trunk of car = The tools are in here. This might also be a good place to put something. tools = Use these to fix things. rocket engine = Powers the Edsel. SECOND FLOOR LANDING: wall lamp = Lights the room. steel security door= Just a door. PAINTING ROOM: Waxed Fruit = Give this to the Green tentacle so he'll let you pass. paint remover = Removes paint. MUSIC/T.V. ROOM: piano = Let Syd or Razor take a try at playing. TV = Check out the commercial. Victrola = It plays records. cassette recorder = Allows you to record stuff on cassette tapes. broken record = See section 6.0 part C. SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY: keypad = Use it to blow up the house. (Only if you really, really want to, of course.) FRED'S OFFICE: desk lamp = Turn it on. desk = Look in the drawer. drawer = Contains the Meteor's manuscript. manuscript = This needs to be rewritten. ARCADE ROOM: Meteor Mess Game = Dr. Fred stores the combination to his lab as the high score. other games = Give them a try. coin box = This is where your quarter ends up when you play a game. DARKROOM: red light = It really brightens the place up. developer tray = Put the developing fluid in here. enlarger = Used to help develop the roll of film. THIRD FLOOR HALLWAY: nothing useful EDNA'S ROOM: telephone = Call Edna and she'll pick up this phone. small key = Unlocks the coin boxes on the arcade games. ladder = Leads up to Attic 1. ATTIC 1: painting = Hides the wall safe. wall safe = Contains the envelope. scrawled number = You need to magnify this with something REALLY big. light = Light up your life. envelope = Use this to send stuff through the mail. You have to steam it open or else you'll never be able to close it again. The quarter is also inside it. quarter = Arcade games and a vending machine pop into my mind. DR. FRED'S ROOM: wanted poster = Has the number for the Meteor Police written on it. dime = Now, if only you had some more. radio = Use this to call the Meteor Police. tube socket = Have Bernard place the radio tube here to fix the short-wave radio. ladder = Leads to Green Tentacle's room. GREEN TENTACLE'S ROOM: left speaker = Just part of the stereo. right speaker = Just part of the stereo. mondo stereo = You can play cassette tapes on it. record = You might want to make a recording of this on a cassette tape. yellow key = Unlocks the trunk of the Edsel and/or to start it up. WEIRD ED'S ROOM: hamster = The card key is hiding behind it. piggy bank = Contains several dimes. dimes = Use these on the telescope. card key = Unlocks the door to the Meteor's room. DEAD COUSIN TED'S ROOM: Hunk-O-Matic machine = Use this twice to build big muscles. BATHROOM: pull chain = Flushes toilet. sponge = Use this to soak up the developer fluid under the house. sink = You can also use this to fill the glass jar. water faucet = Ted will get a real kick if you turn it on. DEN: typewriter = Use this to type stuff. paint blotch = Hides the door to attic 2. pot for plant = You need to use this plant to get into the observatory. hatch = The entrance to the observatory. ATTIC 2: light = Enlighten yourself. wires = You need to fix the bare spot. OBSERVATORY: powerful telescope = Use this to read the scrawled number on the wall next to the safe in attic 1. control panel = Controls the big telescope. coin slot = Put dimes in here. right button = Use this to move the telescope one turn to the right. left button = Use this to move the telescope one turn to the left. BASEMENT: light switch = Brighten your outlook. fuse box = Contains the circuit breakers. circuit breakers = Cuts off the power. silver key = Unlocks the door in the pantry. DUNGEON: loose brick = Opens the door to the basement. bottom padlock = Use the glowing key on it. top padlock = Use the glowing key on it. outer door = Don't just stand there! Get it open! inner door = Leads to the outer lab. badge = Use this to get past Purple Tentacle. OUTER LAB: nothing useful INNER LAB: Pepsi machine = Anyone for a Pepsi? Pepsi = AHHHHHH! Refreshing. ZOM-B-MATIC = QUICK, find a way to turn it off. locker = Contains radiation suit. radiation suit = Put this on before entering the Meteor's room. card slot = Use the card key with this. METEOR'S ROOM: switch = Use this to turn off the ZOM-B-MATIC. Meteor = You'll have to find a way to dispose of him QUICKLY. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.0 Worthless Items FRONT PORCH: bushes on right side of porch FRONT HALL: Grandfather Clock vases left gargoyle head LIVING ROOM: windows couch LIBRARY: chair Chuck The Plant "Out of Order" staircase KITCHEN: old batteries cheese lettuce broken bottles of ketchup chainsaw blood very dull knives stove window DINING ROOM: week old roast gravy stain old rotting turkey candle chair PANTRY: Tentacle Chow canned goods SWIMMING POOL: drain exposed cooling rods radioactive slime old tree GARAGE: bumper sticker license plate sign SECOND FLOOR LANDING: painting of Fred painting of Edna PAINTING ROOM: paint brush easel crate dried purple slime MUSIC/T.V. ROOM: vase piano bench FRED'S OFFICE: black board DOCS 'R US diploma MAIL-A-MED diploma medical chart examination table real skeleton THIRD FLOOR LANDING: windows lovely plant DARKROOM: desk THIRD FLOOR HALLWAY: plants EDNA's ROOM: desk cracked mirror perfume pillow picture of Dr. Fred bed mirror night stand plant light DR. FRED'S ROOM: bed picture of Nurse Edna GREEN TENTACLE'S ROOM: poster picture bed WEIRD ED'S ROOM: strategic commando chart fighter jet model x-wing model window bed pennant DEAD COUSIN TED'S ROOM: sarcophagus pillow TV BATHROOM: toilet lid toilet window shower curtain cracked mirror DEN: plant by door to hallway fireplace family portrait desk ATTIC 2: boarded up window OBSERVATORY: astronomy chart BASEMENT: nuclear reactor furnace radioactive slime DUNGEON: barred window candle holder OUTER LAB: map of house control panel periscope INNER LAB: control panel buttons 1, 2, 3, & 4 METEOR'S ROOM: purple slime ------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.0 MAP OF HOUSE I know this isn't the greatest map in the world, but what do you expect for free? :-) A = Driveway B = Front Porch C = Under House D = Front Hall E = Living Room F = Library G = Kitchen H = Dining Room @ = Pantry J = Swimming Pool K = In Swimming Pool L = Garage M = Second Floor Landing N = Painting Room O = Music\T.V. Room P = Second Floor Hallway Q = Fred's Office R = Arcade Room S = Third Floor Landing T = Darkroom U = Third Floor Hallway V = Dr. Fred's Room W = Green Tentacle's Room X = Nurse Edna's Room Y = Attic 1 Z = Weird Ed's Room AA = Dead Cousin Ted's Room BB = Bathroom CC = Den DD = Observatory EE = Attic 2 FF = Basement GG = Dungeon HH = Outer Lab @@ = Inner Lab JJ = Meteor's Room W Y BB | | | V X Z AA DD | | | | | U-------U-------U-------U-------CC-----EE | Q R S-----T | | | P-------P-------P | @-------H-------G N-------M-----O | | | J D-------D-------D-------E-------F | | | K-------J C-------B-------A FF | | L-------JJ------@@------HH------GG --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.0 GENERAL QUESTIONS A. HOW DO I OPEN THE GRATING IN THE FRONT YARD? It seems that Dr. Fred doesn't go under the house very much and the grating has rusted shut. There are two different ways to get it open. The first requires one of the kids to go upstairs to Ted's room and use his Hunk-O-Matic machine twice. Only then will he (or she) be strong enough to rip open the grating like the Incredible Hulk would. The second way is very simple. Use the tools on the grate and you'll have it open in no time. B. CAN I STICK THE HAMSTER IN THE MICROWAVE AND BLOW HIM UP? Yes and no. It seems this was in the first run of cartridges and then Nintendo found out about it and forced the programmers to remove it from the game. Somehow it had slipped past them when they were evaluating it. As most of us know, Nintendo used to not allow certain things into games produced for their systems. Cruelty to animals was one of them. Only Syd or Razor are able to nuke the hamster. NOTE! DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT STICK ANYTHING LIVING INTO A REAL MICROWAVE! A MICROWAVE IS NOT A TOY! C. WHAT IS SITTING BEHIND MARK ETEER WHEN YOU WATCH T.V.? Just for a moment when the commercial starts and finishes, Mark Eteer won't be on the screen and you will get a brief glimpse of something on the wall behind him. This is just a record of Elvis (or an impersonator). D. DOES THE STAIRCASE THAT'S OUT OF ORDER LEAD ANYWHERE AND CAN IT BE FIXED? No it does not lead anywhere and it can't be fixed. E. HOW DO I FIND THE SECRET COMBINATION TO THE LABORATORY? First, you need to get the tools. Then go up to attic 2. Have one of your kids turn off the power and have the kid in the attic use the tools to fix the broken wiring. Wait a bit and Dr. Fred will play the Meteor Mess game in the game room. If you have a quarter, you can play the game and the high score is the combination to the lab. If you don't have a quarter, see "HOW DO I OPEN THE SAFE?" Another way is to not fix the wiring in the attic and the combination will be 0000. If you did fix the wiring and don't feel like bothering to play Meteor Mess, try one of these combinations 7572, 5858, 3301, or 8640. F. HOW DO I OPEN THE SAFE? You need the combination. :-) Seriously, to get the combination you need to use the telescope in the observatory to magnify the minuscule writing on the wall next to the safe. To operate the telescope, you'll need some dimes. One dime you can pick up off the floor in Dr. Fred's room. But, that's not enough so you'll just have to break open Weird Ed's piggy bank. Once you've got the loot, put two dimes into the slot on the wall of the observatory and rotate the telescope twice to the right. Then use the telescope and you will see the combination. Once again, if you're lazy try one of these combinations 3621,1230, 4186, 1029, or 0120. G. WHERE IS THE GAS FOR THE CHAINSAW? There isn't any gas for the chainsaw in Maniac Mansion. You can find a container of gas in ZAK MCKRACKEN AND THE ALIEN MINDBENDERS. This is another LucasArts game only available on computers. It can be found in the alien Hostel on Mars. H. WHERE CAN I FIND NURSE EDNA'S PHONE NUMBER? Her phone number is written on the wall of the bathroom, but Ted is in the way. Perhaps a cold shower will wake him up. I. WHAT IS NURSE EDNA'S PHONE NUMBER? See question H or try 1547, 3444, 5235, 2275, or 7537. J. WHAT ARE THE TOMBSTONES IN THE FRONT YARD FOR? Each time you kill a kid (without blowing up the house) the Edisons bury them in the yard and a tombstone appears. Just don't let three tombstones appear there or else the game will end. K. ISN'T THERE A WAY TO MAKE KIDS INVISIBLE? Yes there is. Nuke the hamster in the microwave and then have one of them give it back to Weird Ed. (Make sure you give all of his or her items to another kid before you do this.) Weird Ed will be so mad that he will kill him (or her) and bury them in the front yard. The kid may be dead but they can still be used. L. WHERE ARE THE PLANS WEIRD ED WANTS ME TO FIND? After you give Weird Ed his package (don't forget to take the stamps off first), the plans will appear next to the bushes in front of the house. Have Michael develop the film in the darkroom and then you can give the plans to Ed. M. HOW DO I TURN ON THE SHOWER? You need to fix the handle. You can find one sitting in the garage on the shelf. N. HOW CAN I GET THINGS OUT OF WEIRD ED'S ROOM WITHOUT BEING THROWN INTO THE DUNGEON? You need to find a way to lure Ed out of his room. One way is to have one kid hide in Ted's room and have another kid ring the doorbell. Ed will wander downstairs thinking his package has arrived and you can then race over to Ed's room and grab what you need. Of course, once you give Ed his package this won't work. Another way is to have one kid walk into Ed's room and while Ed is hauling him off to the dungeon another kid can sneak in and get stuff. O. WHAT DO I DO WITH THE TELESCOPE? See question F "HOW DO I OPEN THE SAFE?". P. HOW DO I TURN OFF THE POWER? Use the circuit breakers down in the basement. Be careful, if you leave the power off to long, the nuclear reactor will overheat and blow up. Q. HOW DO I OPEN THE DOOR TO THE RIGHT OF THE STAIRS IN THE FRONT HALL? You need to have one of the kids push the gargoyle head on the right side and the door will open up. While one kid stands there and holds the gargoyle head, a different one can pop through the door and check out the basement. R. HOW DO I DEVELOP THE PLANS? Have Michael take the film and the developing fluid up to the darkroom. Put the developing fluid in the tray. Then use the film on the tray. S. HOW DO I GET UP TO THE OBSERVATORY? You need to climb up the plant in the den. But, first you need to get it to grow real tall. Water the plant with some radioactive pool water and then give it some Pepsi. T. HOW DO I GET TO ATTIC 2? See that blotch of paint on the wall in the den. Use the paint remover on it to reveal a door. U. HOW DO I GET THE GREEN TENTACLE TO LET ME PASS? First feed him the waxed fruit. Then give him the fruit drinks to wash it down. Bernard is too afraid of the Green Tentacle at first so you'll need to use a different kid to feed him. Instead of giving him the waxed fruit, you could give him every other piece of food you can find to fill him up. V. HOW DO I FIX THE PHONE? Have Jeff or Bernard fix the phone using the tools. W. HOW DO I FIX THE SHORT-WAVE RADIO? Have Bernard take the radio tube out of the radio in the living room and put it into the tube socket next to the short-wave radio. X. HOW DO I CALL THE METEOR POLICE? After the short-wave radio is fixed, have Bernard look at the poster in Dr. Fred's room and you'll find the number for the Meteor Police. Use the short-wave radio and dial their number. The number could be 9111, 1977, 3412, 0525, or 1138. Y. HOW DO I DRAIN THE POOL? Have one of your kids stand next to the pool. Then have one of the other kids go under the house and open the water valve. This will drain the water out of the pool. Don't forget to close the valve after you are finished because if the reactor overheats the house will blow up. Z. HOW DO I OPEN THE GARAGE DOOR? Have one of the kids go upstairs to Ted's room and use the weight lifting machine twice. Then you will be strong enough to rip open that heavy garage door. AA. WHAT DO I DO WITH THE FLASHLIGHT? The flashlight doesn't have any batteries. The old batteries sitting in the refrigerator are very weak and go out very quickly. You can get some fresh batteries out of the radio sitting in the pool chair. You use the flashlight to see what you're doing while fixing the wiring in the attic. BB. HOW DO I FIX THE BROKEN WIRING? First, have one kid switch off the circuit breakers in the basement. Then have another kid in attic 2 use the flashlight (with the strong batteries in it) so he can see. Then use the tools on the exposed wires. CC. HOW DO I GET THE KEY HANGING IN THE CHANDELIER IN THE LIVING ROOM? You need to get the record from the Green Tentacle's room and play it on the record player in the music room. Put a cassette tape in the cassette player and hit record. Then take the tape downstairs to the living room and play it on the cassette player in the cabinet. The high pitched noise will shatter the chandelier allowing you to retrieve the key. DD. HOW DO I PLAY THE VIDEO GAMES? The wiring that connects to this room is broken (see question BB). Once the wiring is fixed, you will need a quarter. The quarter can be found in the envelope. (See the next question about how to get the quarter out of the envelope.) If you have the key from Nurse Edna's room, you can open the coinbox to retrieve the quarter after you've played a game. Then you can use it to play another game. EE. HOW DO I OPEN THE ENVELOPE? The envelope needs to be steamed open if you want to use it to send something in the mail. Take the envelope and place it in the microwave. Then fill the glass jar with tap water (NOT POOL WATER!) and place it into the microwave. Turn it on and the envelope will steam open. FF. HOW DO I SEND SOMETHING IN THE MAIL? First, steam open the envelope. (See preceding question.) Then watch some television. Go upstairs and address the envelope with the typewriter. Then pull the package and some stamps will come off. Place the item you want sent inside the envelope and stick on the stamps. Place the envelope in the mailbox, close the door, and raise the flag. Don't stand next to the mailbox or the mailman won't come. GG. WHAT DO I DO WITH THE MANUSCRIPT? Have Wendy take it upstairs to the typewriter and give it a good re-write. Then send it in to Mark Eteer. A contract for the Meteor will arrive in the mail. HH. HOW DO I GET OUT OF THE DUNGEON? If there are two kids stuck in the dungeon, have one kid stand next to the door on the right. Switch to the other kid and have him push the loose brick. Quickly switch back to the other kid and run out the door before it slams shut. The key that unlocks this door is hanging in the chandelier in the living room. (See question CC.) II. HOW DO I GET THE GREEN TENTACLE TO HELP ME? The Green Tentacle wants to be a star. Have Syd or Razor make a recording of them playing the piano. Bring the cassette upstairs and play the tape on the Tentacle's Mondo Stereo. He'll be so impressed he will give you his own demo tape. Send it to Mark Eteer and he'll send a recording contract for the Green Tentacle. Give the contract to Green Tentacle and he'll help you out by chasing Purple Tentacle out of the Outer Lab. JJ. HOW DO I GET WEIRD ED TO HELP ME? You need to find his package for him. The mailman will leave it sitting next to the mailbox and then ring the doorbell to let you know it arrived. Have one of the kids run out and snag it before Ed comes down to get it. Pull the package and some stamps will come off. Then give the package to Ed. He will ask you to find his plans. His plans will now be sitting next to the bushes in front of the house. The roll of film needs to be developed. (See question R.) After it is developed, give the plans to Ed and he will scare off Purple Tentacle when you enter the outer lab. KK. I NEED A KEY. WHERE ARE THEY? The key to the front door is hidden under the doormat. The key to the dungeon is hanging in the chandelier in the living room. (See question CC.) The key to the pantry door is hanging in the basement. The card key for the Meteor's room is hiding behind the hamster. The key to the Edsel is up in Green Tentacle's room. The key to the coinboxes on the arcade games is in Nurse Edna's room. The key to the padlocks on the lab door is at the bottom of the swimming pool. LL. WHERE DO I FIND THE METEOR POLICE BADGE? After you call the Meteor Police and they haul away the evil Meteor, they will leave behind a badge in the dungeon. Just pick it up and it's yours. MM. HOW DO I GET PAST NURSE EDNA? You could have her capture one of the kids and while she is hauling him down to the dungeon, you can slip in and get to the attic before she gets back. If you call her on the phone, she will be so distracted she won't notice if someone sneaks into her room. (See questions H and I.) You'll have to have Jeff or Bernard fix the phone in the library with the tools before you can use it. NN. I'VE MADE IT TO THE INNER LAB. WHAT DO I DO? It depends. You have to open the door to the Meteor's room by placing the card key in the card slot. Then put on the radiation suit and enter the Meteor's room. Pull the switch. See section 9.0. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.0 HOW TO KILL OFF KIDS Try one of these ten different ways to bump them off. Also, when you kill one of them, anything they were carrying when they died is lost forever. A. Have kid 1 drain the pool, then have kid 2 (and kid 3 if you want) climb down into it and have kid 1 turn the water back on. B. Walk into the meteor's room without a radiation suit on (while the Meteor is there, of course.) C. Nuke Ed's hamster in the microwave and then give it back to him. D. Fill the glass jar with water from the pool and then stick it into the microwave. Turn on the microwave and when it's done, open the door. ARRGGHHHH! Radioactive Steam! E. Use the keypad next to the security door and the house will go sky-high. F. Drain the pool and don't refill it. The house will go sky-high. G. Turn off the power and don't turn it back on again. The house will go sky-high. H. Push the red button in the pool. The house will go sky-high. I. When you enter the secret lab, let Dr. Fred's self-destruct mechanism reach zero. The house will go sky-high. J. Have Syd or Razor make a demo tape by playing the piano. Then send the tape to Mark Eteer. He'll send back a contract. If you show this contract to the green tentacle he'll be so jealous that he will kill you. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.0 OTHER STUFF A. Don't call the Meteor Police too many times or else they will get mad and refuse to come anymore. So, make sure you have both lab doors unlocked and open when they arrive. B. What Nurse Edna says when she hauls someone to the dungeon and locks them up. OH! An unwelcome visitor! I got you! a. You'll be safe here until the police come, dearie. b. I have half a good mind to talk to my husband! c. Just you wait until I talk to your mother! C. Here are some things you can send to Mark Eteer. Something different will happen depending on what you send. a. A blank tape. b. A tape with the tentacle record recorded on it. c. A tape with the broken record recorded on it. d. The Meteor's manuscript before it is rewritten. e. The Meteor's manuscript after it is rewritten. f. The Green Tentacle's tape. g. A recording of Syd or Razor playing the piano. D. Weird Ed gets hungry and wanders down to the kitchen for a snack early in the game. If you swipe the cheese out of the fridge, poor Ed and his hamster will have to go hungry. E. In the beginning of the game, Nurse Edna is hanging around in the kitchen. If you go in there and she sees you, she'll chase and grab you. But if you make it out of the kitchen, she won't follow you. It is very tricky to make it out of the kitchen before she catches you but it can be done. Give it a try. F. You can develop the roll of film without the red light on. It's kind of funny because all you see is Michael's head floating in the air like a ghost. G. Here's a little trick to get past Nurse Edna with only one kid. Go into her room and IMMEDIATELY switch to another kid. After about 20 seconds, switch back to Edna's room and she will be frozen. Then you can wander around her room without getting caught. If you do this to Nurse Edna while she is in the kitchen, she will vanish. H. If you enter Nurse Edna's room and she starts towards you and you quickly duck out the door to avoid her, then look out. She will come right out into the hallway after you. I. There is a bug in the game where you can grab items out of the microwave when it is still on. This bug will allow you to grab the hamster out of the microwave and then after the microwave is done, some hamster bits will strangely appear in the microwave. Thus you can have the hamster and the exploded hamster at the same time. J. In order to become Ed's friend you have to give him his package. But if you had swiped his hamster earlier while he was out of his room, you can give it to him and he will be nice to you and not throw you in the dungeon. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.0 HOW TO GET THROWN INTO THE DUNGEON A. In the beginning of the game, Nurse Edna is hanging around the kitchen for a little while. Just wander in there and let her nab you. B. After Nurse Edna is done in the kitchen, Weird Ed gets hungry and decides to get himself and his hamster something to eat. Let him catch you and into the dungeon you go. C. Go outside, push the doorbell and then go back into the house. When Ed comes downstairs looking for his package and finds you instead, you'll get a one-way ticket to you-know-where. D. Flip the circuit breakers in the basement and the Purple Tentacle will come to investigate. E. Wander into Weird Ed's room when you are not his friend. F. If you are his friend, then touch his piggy bank. G. If you are his friend, try grabbing his hamster. H. Wander into Edna's room when she is there. I. Have one kid stand in the basement and have another kid open the valve under the house. The purple tentacle will investigate the circuit breakers and arrest whoever is there. Don't forget to close the water valve after the one kid is thrown into the dungeon. J. Go into the outer lab and let the Purple Tentacle haul you back into the dungeon. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 8.0 DIFFERENT WAYS TO GET PAST THE PURPLE TENTACLE A. If you had given Weird Ed his secret plans, he will chase off the Purple Tentacle so you can get into the lab. B. Show the Meteor's manuscript contract to the Purple Tentacle and he'll let you in. C. After the Meteor Police arrive, they will drop a badge in the dungeon. Just show it to the Purple Tentacle and he will let you pass. D. If you had given the recording contract to the Green Tentacle, he will chase off the Purple Tentacle for you. E. Have a kid pull the circuit breakers in the basement and then when the Purple Tentacle comes to investigate show him the Meteor's manuscript contract. F. Have a kid pull the circuit breakers in the basement and then when the Purple Tentacle comes to investigate, show him the Meteor Police Badge. G. Have one kid wait in the basement while another kid opens the valve under the house. When the Purple Tentacle comes to investigate, have the kid in the basement show him the manuscript contract. H. Have one kid wait in the basement while another kid opens the valve under the house. When the Purple Tentacle comes to investigate, have the kid in the basement show him the badge. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 9.0 HOW TO GET THE DIFFERENT ENDINGS FOR THE GAME #1. Turn off the switch in the Meteor's Room, grab the Meteor, go out the door to the right and you'll be in the garage. Open up the trunk with the yellow key and throw the Meteor inside. Close the trunk and start up the car. #2. Kill off Dave first, then do the same thing as ending #1. #3. Have the Meteor Police grab the Meteor and then go in and flip the switch. #4. Have Wendy retype the Meteor's manuscript and send it to Mark Eteer. After you flip the switch, give the Meteor the contract that arrived in the mail. #5. Do the same as #4 except call the Meteor Police right before you go into the lab. #6. Kill off Wendy THEN give the contract to the Meteor. #7. Okay, this one's a bit tricky. Remove whatever you need from the garage and then have one of the kids start up the Edsel. Then when you go down to the lab, flip the switch, grab the Meteor, and go out the door. Since the garage has been blown up the gate is now open. Race into the house and up the stairs to the den. Then feed the Meteor to the plant. Remember to hurry because the self-destruct mechanism is ticking down. #8. Kill off all three kids (without blowing up the mansion). #9. Blow up the Mansion. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 10.0 AFTERWORD Hopefully with this FAQ you were able to find the information you needed about Maniac Mansion. The multiple endings, quirks, and bugs in this game give it considerable replay value. After this game had been submitted to Nintendo for evaluation, it was returned to the programmers and they were told to delete, remove, and/or change certain things. They had to change some of the dialogue. A nude statue on the second floor had to be removed. The word SCUMM had to be removed from the credits. SCUMM stands for Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion. This is the programming language used by LucasArts to create the game. There was a pennant hanging on the wall in Ed's room that said "SCUMM U. RAH!" that was supposed to be removed, but all the programmers did was make it exactly the same color as the background. If you click on the wall next to the door in Ed's room you will find the pennant. The evaluators at Nintendo happened to miss the fact that you could blow up the hamster in the microwave. After the game had been released and sold, this was discovered and Nintendo forced them to once again change the game to remove this. Nintendo has since dropped their censorship policies in favor of a ratings system. There may have been more things changed that I don't know about. If anyone knows exactly what was changed in the game before the original release or for the second release, I would like to know. Also, if anyone has a prototype version of this game I would really like to hear from you. Thanks. ------------------------------------------------------------------- END OF FAQ -------------------------------------------------------------------