From: cpepin1@grfn.org (Chris Pepin) --------------------------------------------------------------------- MANIAC MANSION - NES manual by JALECO/LUCASARTS --------------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT MANIAC MANSION THERE ARE WEIRD PEOPLE LIVING IN MANIAC MANSION: Dr. Fred, a "retired" physician turned mad scientist; Nurse Edna, a former health care professional who's as strange as the good doctor; 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 nice young cheerleader named Sandy doing in Dr. Fred's basement? --------------------------------------------------------------------- YOUR GOAL is to direct a team of three local teenagers (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 teenager at a time. WARNING: DO NOT USE WITH A FRONT OR REAR PROJECTION TV Do not use a front or rear projection television with your Nintendo Entertainment System (R) ("NES") and NES games. Your projection television screen may be permanently damaged if video games with stationary scenes or patterns are played on your projection television. Similar damage may occur if you place a video game on hold or pause. If you use your projection television with NES games, Nintendo will not be liable for any damage. This situation is not caused by a defect in the NES or NES games; other fixed or repetitive images may cause similar damage to a projection television. Please contact your TV manufacturer for further information. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 can be several ways to get something done--but of course, there is always a best way. Good luck! ------------------------------------------------------------------- ŒSTARTING THE GAM Press "B" to move from the title screens to the character selection screen. Control Pad/Move Arrow Select Button/Get Use Open Start Button/Save B Button/Fast Forward A Button/Click ------------------------------------------------------------------- CHOOSING YOUR TEAM Move the arrow with your directional controller over the kid's portraits and press the A button when the arrow is over a kid that interests you. You will see a short biography of that kid on top of the screen. Dave (Sandy's boyfriend) will always be on your team, so you can select two other kids. The first two portraits you click on will be highlighted with a white border, like Dave's. The white border means that the character in the portrait is selected for your team. If you'd like to change your selection, just click again on the picture of the kid you don't want. The border will disappear and you can select another one. You can win the game with any team, but the story line and many of the puzzles you need to solve will be different for each combination. When you have completed your selection, move the arrow to the "start" icon and press the A button. ------------------------------------------------------------------- PLAYING THE GAME After the title sequence, you will see your team standing in the driveway next to the mansion. When they all turn and face you, you will be directing the actions of Dave (you can switch control to a "new kid" if you'd like--see page 15). 1. THE MESSAGE LINE is the line at the very top of the screen. Words spoken by any of the characters appear on this line, as well as game related messages (for example, "PLEASE SELECT TWO KIDS BESIDES DAVE"). 2. THE ANIMATION WINDOW is the largest part of the screen where the animated world of the mansion is displayed. It shows the "camera's eye view" of the room that the currently active character is in. ------------------------------------------------------------------- THE SENTENCE LINE is directly below the Animation Window. You use this line to construct sentences that tell the characters what to do. 4. VERBS must be selected from the groups of words in the columns below the SENTENCE LINE. You will always be able to see all the verbs used in the game--they will not change as the game progresses. To select a verb, position the cursor over the word and press A. In the case of the most commonly used verbs (i.e. GET, OPEN, AND USE), you may select one of these verbs automatically by pressing the select key. Each time you press Select you will activate one of the three verbs. 5. THE INVENTORY is the area below the Verbs. Each character on your team has his or her own inventory. It is empty at the beginning of the game (except for each character's CD Player--see page 18); the name of an object is added to a character's Inventory when the character picks the object up during game play. There is no limit to the number of objects a character can carry. When there are more than four items in an Inventory, an arrow icon appears in the middle of the list. Use it to scroll the list down or up. ------------------------------------------------------------------- NOUNS (objects) can be selected in two ways. You may select a noun by placing the arrow over an object in the Animation Window and pressing A. Most objects in the mansion, and all objects that are usable in the game, have names. If an object has a name, it will appear on the Sentence Line when you move the arrow over it and press A. You may also select nouns by clicking on words in the Inventory. TO MOVE A CHARACTER AROUND, move your arrow to a place in the Animation Window that you want your character to go. Press the A button when your arrow is in the right place. Your character will automatically move to that location, assuming he or she is able. ------------------------------------------------------------------- TO TELL A KID TO CARRY OUT THE DIRECTIONS YOU'VE PUT ON THE SENTENCE LINE, press the A button when the arrow is over the last object that will be in the sentence. Example: You wish to have Dave use a key in a door. Press the A button when the arrow is over the verb "use." Then move the arrow to the key in Dave's Inventory and press the A button. Finally, move the arrow to the door in the Animation Window. Make sure the sentence line reads "Use key in door" and press the A button. USING THE VERBS: USE, OPEN OR GET. A quicker way to form a sentence using the most commonly used verbs in Maniac Mansion: USE, OPEN or GET. Simply move your arrow over an object to be included in the sentence (such as "radio"). Press the "SELECT" button to cycle through the verbs: USE, OPEN or GET. Press the A button when the proper verb has been inserted into the sentence. Example: USE Doorbell. This special use of the SELECT button allows you to quickly open doors, pick up items, or use items that don't need to be "turned on" first (Or items that have already been turned on). ------------------------------------------------------------------- "CUT-SCENES" Cut-scenes are short, animated sequences--like scenes from a movie--which can provide clues and information about the characters. When you are viewing a cut-scene, you do not direct the actions so the text below the Animation Window disappears. You may "fast-forward" through a cut-scene by pressing your B button. ------------------------------------------------------------------- THINGS TO TRY READ THE SIGN ON THE FENCE. Point the verb "read." Click A. Point to the sign. Click A. Dave will walk over to the sign and will tell you what it says via the Message Line. DIRECT DAVE TO WALK TO THE MANSION by moving the arrow to the left edge of the screen and pressing the A button. Have him continue walking to the left until he's in front of the mansion. TO GET INTO THE MANSION, try the sentence, "Pull door mat." FIRST, select "Pull" by moving your arrow over the word in the Verb List and pressing the A button once. "Pull" now appears on the Sentence Line. SECOND, select the mat by moving your arrow over the mat and pressing the A button. "Pull door mat" on appears on the Sentence Line and pressing the A button will complete the task. THIRD, pulling the mat will reveal the key needed to get into the mansion. ------------------------------------------------------------------- SPECIAL VERBS AND FUNCTION KEYS NEW KID--Select "New Kid" from the menu to bring up the list of kids in your party. Move the arrow to the kid you wish to activate and press the A button. Don't forget that you have to have two other team members in order to try and rescue Sandy. Each kid is a vital part of your team. Your task is to find out how they can help. START BUTTON--By pressing the "START" button at any point during the game, you will go to the save game screen. There are four choices on the save screen: BACK TO THE MANSION--Will put you right back where you left off in your current game. SAVE GAME--Saves your progress in your current game. RESTORE SAVED GAME--Will put you back where you last saved your game. NEW GAME--Restarts the game. ------------------------------------------------------------------- KEYS, KEYS, KEYS--There are several keys to be found inside the mansion--all of which serve some purpose. WHAT DO THE KIDS DO?--All the kids have a talent, and it's important when you're selecting your team to choose wisely. Here's a quick rundown of what these kids can do: ------------------------------------------------------------------- BERNARD can fix things with the proper tools. RAZOR has plenty of musical talent. SYD'S a musician too! WENDY aspires to be a novelist. JEFF can fix the telephone. MICHAEL is a photographer, and can develop film. ------------------------------------------------------------------- HINTS AND ASSORTED NOTES CD PLAYERS--Each kid is equipped with his or her own compact disc player. When the CD player is on, a background "theme" song plays. Turn it off and the character will not have any background music. NOTE: Every kid has a CD player. To eliminate all theme music, all 3 CD players must be turned off. THE PACKAGE--During the game, a package will be left at the mailbox outside the mansion. You'll know it's there because the mailman will ring the doorbell. Get that package!!! At the very least, prevent Weird Ed from getting it. You'll need something on the box. The package itself comes in handy too! BULLETIN BOARD--The enclosed poster will give you many hints. Refer to it often. Here are a few other hints: -Being sent to the dungeon isn't bad. It can even be good. -There is a loose brick in the dungeon. -Sometimes you can get past someone by having a kid get captured, creating a diversion. -The flashlight is useful in dark places. ------------------------------------------------------------------- MANIAC MANSION HINT BOOK--For just $7.95 (includes shipping and handling), order a Maniac Mansion hint book, a complete guide to the game with over a hundred clues , solutions to all of the puzzles, and helpful hints such as how to get the combination to Nurse Edna's wall safe or how to drain the radioactive swimming pool. Get a glimpse of the entire mansion with our comprehensive map, which shows you each room, check your inventory against the object listings, and enjoy a full narrative of the adventure, from start to finish, from Dave's perspective. Just call 1-800-STARWARS (1-800-782-7927) between 8 am and 5 pm, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday and ask for the Lucasfilm Games catalog department. In Canada call 1-800-828-7927. Or send a check or money order to Lucasfilm Games, P.O. Box 5896, San Mateo, CA 94402-0896. TAKING CARE OF YOUR JALECO GAME *This Jaleco Game Pak is a precision-crafted device with complex electronic circuitry. Avoid subjecting it to undue shock or extremes of temperature. Never attempt to open or dismantle the game pak. *Do not touch the terminal leads or allow them to come into contact with water or the game circuitry will be damaged. *Always make sure your NES Control Deck is SWITCHED OFF when inserting the Game Pak or removing it from the Nes Control Deck. *Because of the SAVE GAME FEATURE, you should hold RESET while removing the Game Pak. ------------------------------------------------------------------- JALECO USA, Inc. 310 Era Drive Northbrook, Illinois 60062 (708) 480-1811 ------------------------------------------------------------------- END OF MANUAL -------------------------------------------------------------------