Maniac Mansion FAQ (NES version) by Ed the Moogle Version 1.22 Copyright 2000 Ed the Moogle Not official in any way. Don't copy or alter this FAQ without permission. If you wish to copy this FAQ, you may not change it from its original TXT format, and it must not appear within a frame or with a pop-up window or ad banner of any kind. I am not to be held responsible for any damages done with this file or it's contents. Latest version is at http://www.gamefaqs.com. Check the latest version before you e-mail me with questions or comments, or before telling me I'm an idiot because I made a mistake. Failure to do this will result in your e-mail being ignored. Domains that CAN use this FAQ http://www.gamefaqs.com (e-mail me at edmoogle@hotmail.com or brunerp@juno.com to be added to the list) Domains that can NEVER use this FAQ (I have had some bad run-ins with these domain/domains before. They have either somehow been making money off my FAQs by the use of ad banners or otherwise). http://faqs.simplenet.com http://www.gamesdomain.com http://vgstrategies.about.com http://www.gamewinners.com If you see this FAQ on any of these sites, or any other site that uses my files without complying to the conditions in the disclaimer, report it to me immediately and I will put an end to it (edmoogle@hotmail.com (subject: chocobo) or brunerp@juno.com) This game rules! Buy it if you come across a copy! It's definitely one of my favorite NES games! Also check out the sequel, Day of the Tentacle. It's available for a mere $20 at www.lucasarts.com . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- Versions 1.0 Initial Release 1.1 Added a note about blowing up the hamster in the FAQ's section. Also added an Items section. 1.2 Various additions and corrections. 1.21 A few changes here and there. 1.22 A a new FAQ and two more tricks added. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- NOTE: I am assuming that you know the basic elements of playing the game. Contents Characters FAQs Items Tricks and Secrets Endings ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- Characters You start out the game by selecting your three characters. You can take Dave and two others. Dave- He is the main character of the game. You have to take him along. He doesn't have any special abilities like the others do, but that doesn't mean you can't make use of him. He can hold an infinite number of items like any character, and the theme song on his CD player is pretty catchy. Razor - Razor is a very talented musician, and she will help you get past the Purple Tentacle toward the end of the game with her ability. Cool CD Player music. Syd- Syd is also a very good musician, and his abilities are exactly the same as Razor's. So you only need to take one or the other, but if you want to take both, feel free to. Bernard- Bernard is a master with electronics. He can fix the broken phone in the Library and he can also radio the Meteor Police. But he is afraid of the Green Tentacle at first, so you'll have to find someone else to give the tentacle what he wants before you can go upstairs. Jeff- Jeff can fix the phone, but unlike Bernard he cannot fix the radio. But on the plus side, he's not afraid of the green tentacle. On the other hand, he's the only character besides Dave that doesn't have a way to get past the Purple Tentacle. Wendy- Wendy is the only character who can re-write the meteor's manuscript. Michael- Michael is the only one who can develop Wierd Ed's plans. This will help you get rid of the Purple Tentacle. His CD Player theme sounds like a theme off a spy film or something... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- - FAQs Since there are literally near-infinite ways to play through the game, I'll just point out how to get past the tricky aspects of the game. Q: Can I repair or use the "Out of Order" staircase? If so, where does it lead? No. As the name implies, it cannot be used, and there is no way to repair it. Q: There's a cabinet in Dr. Fred's office that had a description reading "it requires a special key to open." Is there a way to open it? No. There is no key that will open the cabinet in either the PC or NES version of the game. Q: How do I escape the dungeon? The Rusty Key will unlock the right-hand door and allow you to escape to the basement. If you don't have it, though, there is another way, but you must have two kids in the dungeon to do it. Have one kid stand by the "Loose Brick" and another kid stand by the right-hand door. Have the first kid push on the Loose Brick. The door will open. Now quickly switch to the other kid and run through before it slams shut. This is useful for getting a character with important items out of the dungeon. Q: How do I remove the grate in the front yard? You have to go into Ted's room and use the Hunk-O-Matic (TM) machine. Then you can open the grate rather easily. If you have the Tools, those will work too, but you have to open the garage door to get those. Q: Okay, how do I open the garage door? Just use the Hunk-O-Matic (TM) twice and you'll be strong enough to open the super-heavy garage door. Q: How do I get past the Green Tentacle? Feed it the Bowl of Wax fruit (any other food items you feed it won't do you any good). Then give it anything you can find to drink (wait until after the first cinema scene before you enter the kitchen, because Edna will be there). You can give him the glass jar full of water, the fruit drinks, or the Can of Pepsi (you'll have some Pepsi left over so you can use it again later). Q: What's the Keypad do in the upstairs hall? Regardless of the numbers input on the Keypad, it will overload the nuclear reactor to the house, therefore causing a chain reaction that will blow it to Kingdom Come. In other words, you probably shouldn't mess with it. Q: How do I blow up the hamster in the microwave? First, you must acquire the hamster from Ed's room. Ed can be lured out by either leading a kid in there and then having another kid go in while he hauls them to the dungeon, or you can use the doorbell (before he gets his package, anyway). From there, just give the hamster to Syd or Razor, pop it in the microwave, and turn it on. Note: All other kids will refuse to use the hamster in the microwave. Also note that there is a second version of the game that does not allow the hamster to be blown up at all. Q: What can I do with the blown-up hamster? You can return it to Wierd Ed to meet a rather nasty demise (See the Tricks and Secrets section below). Q: What can I do with the intact hamster? Return it to Ed and he'll be your friend. If he was mad at a character for trying to steal from his piggy bank or otherwise, he'll become friends with that character again if they return the hamster to him. Q: How do I get past Nurse Edna without being caught? There are three ways to do this. One is to have one kid walk into the room while another waits in Dr. Fred's or Ted's room. Edna will haul them off to the dungeon. You can then switch back to the kid in Fred or Ted's room and enter while she's away. Another method is to fix the phone in the library and call her number (more on that in a moment). She'll be so distracted by the phone call that you can sneak past un-noticed. The third way is actually somewhat of a glitch. You just go into the room and quickly switch to another kid. Wait for 30-40 seconds, then switch back. Edna will just stand there and let you pass. Repeating this in Ed's room will also allow you to snoop around in there, but don't mess with his hamster or his piggy bank in his presence or he'll spring to life and haul you to the dungeon. Q: How do I get the Card Key? To get the Card Key, you must first take Ed's hamster from its cage. Once the hamster is out of the way, the card key will be in plain view. However, this task can be made difficult when Ed is there, as he will get angry when you try to take his hamster. To get rid of him, lure him away by ringing the doorbell downstairs (this won't work if he has already gotten his Package), or make him mad (mess with his piggy bank or hamster) and have another person sneak in while he hauls the former to the dungeon. Q: How do I fix the phone? First, get the tools out of the garage and then give them to Jeff or Bernard. Then have them use the tools on the phone. Q: What is Edna's phone number? The number changes in each new game you play. It's written on the wall in Ted's bathroom, but Ted is blocking your view. To find out the number, pick up the nozzle in the garage, then go upstairs and attach it to the shower in Ted's bathroom. Then turn it on and Ted will move out of the way and let you see the number. Q: How do I get to the Observatory? Fill the glass jar from the pantry with pool water, then use it on the plant in the Family Room. It should grow very, very big. Then use the Pepsi on it and you'll be able to climb up. Q: How do I read the number next to the wall safe? First you have to get to the Observatory. Then put two dimes in the coin slot and rotate it twice to the right. Then look through the telescope and you'll see the combination to the safe. Note that you must look through the telescope at least once before you put the dimes in, otherwise it will not rotate to the proper place. Also note that you must go up to the attic and attempt to look at the numbers at least once before you can view them through the 'scope. Q: But I can only find one dime! There are more in Wierd Ed's piggy bank. To get more, wait in Fred or Ted's room and have a kid ring the doorbell (this won't work if Ed's gotten his package already) or lead a kid in so that Ed hauls them off to the dungeon, then switch characters, sneak into Ed's room while he's away and loot his Piggy Bank. Q: How do I get to Ed's package in time? I like to have one character open the door with the Key and wait outside while the other two enter the house. Then I have the kid with the key wait in the driveway so that when the doorbell rings, he can run to the front of the house and pick up the package before Ed gets it. Q: How can I make Ed help me? There are two ways to do this. One way is to give him his package (be sure to get the stamps off first if you're using Syd, Razor, or Wendy!), and he'll be friends with all three of your characters. Another way is to return his hamster to him. But don't try to steal his hamster or money from his piggy bank while he's watching or he'll throw your character in the dungeon and be that character's enemy again, unless they make it up to him somehow (give him back his hamster, give him his developed plans, etc.). Q: How do I develop Ed's plans? If you have Michael on your team, you can do this. First, give Ed his package. He'll tell you to go find his plans. Pick up the sponge from Ted's bathroom. Then go downstairs to the pantry and try to grab the bottle of developer off the shelf. It should fall down and shatter on the grate. Now go outside and pick up the roll of film you find. Proceed under the house and soak up the developer with the sponge. Now go up to the darkroom, use the developer on the tray, then use the film on the tray. Note the cool sound effects as the developing process takes place. Q: How do I open the door with no doorknob? Have one kid push on the gargoyle on the right-hand side of the stairs. The door should open. Switch to another kid and have them move through. This should take you to the basement. Note that Ed won't notice a kid pushing on the gargoyle if he's currently hauling another kid to the dungeon for some strange reason. Q: How do I turn off the power? Flip the circuit breakers in the basement. But don't leave it off for too long, as the house will explode from the nuclear reactor overloading. The Purple Tentacle will also be by shortly to investigate, so do whatever you need to do quickly before he throws your kid in the dungeon. Q: How do I drain the pool? Go under the house and open the valve. But a word of warning. Don't leave the pool drained too long, as the house will blow up. Pressing the button at the bottom of the pool will have a similar effect. Just grab what you need and leave. Don't leave anyone in the basement either, as Purple Tentacle will investigate the circuit breakers while the alarm is going off. Q: Where can I get some batteries? There are some in the fridge, but they die out rather quickly (lousy Duracell's...). You can get some better ones by opening up the radio from the pool. Q: How do I get to the attic? Use the Paint Remover on the blotch of paint in the family room. A door will be revealed. Open it to enter the attic. Q: How do I play the arcade games? You have to fix the wires in the attic. Q: Okay, how do I fix the wires in the attic? Give the kid in the attic the flashlight and the good batteries, then turn off the power. Turn on the flashlight and use the tools on the frayed wires (any kid can do this) then turn the power back on. Be sure to turn off the flashlight when you're done, because you may need it again later if Dr. Fred turns off the power (he may or may not do it, I think it's random). Note that the wires will still be live if Fred turns off the power, thus you won't be able to fix them unless you turn it off yourself. Q: How do I get the key down from the chandelier in the living room? Grab the record from the Green Tentacle's room and then go to the TV room. Use the cassette tape to make a recording of the high-pitched noise (the Tentacle Mating Call!!!). Now take the tape downstairs and put it in the tape player. The noise should shatter the chandelier and the key will fall down. Q: What can I do with the envelope I found in the safe? There is a quarter in the envelope which can be gotten by opening it, but if you want to use the envelope itself you will have to steam it open. Fill up the glass jar with water from the tap in the kitchen (DON'T use pool water). Then put it in the microwave with the envelope. Take it back out and open it up to get the quarter. You can also send things through the mail with the envelope (more on that in a moment). Q: How do I send stuff in the mail? If you've steamed open the envelope properly, you can do so. Take the stamps from the package (try to Open or Pull Ed's package and you'll get them), and use them on the envelope. Then watch the TV in the TV room. Go upstairs to the family room and use the envelope on the typewriter to address it to the publishing company that appeared on the TV. Now put what you want to send in the envelope, go outside, put it in the mailbox, and raise (use) the flag. Don't wait by the front door or else the mailman won't show up. Go back in the house, or wait in the driveway. The doorbell will ring if you get something back (watch out for Ed if he hasn't yet recieved his package). Q: How do I fix the Radio in Fred's room? If you have Bernard, have him go downstars to the radio in the living room. Take the radio tube out of the Old Fashion Radio (open it up first), and use it on the radio tube in Fred's room. Now you can call the Meteor Police via the number on the Wanted poster, but don't do so until you open up all the needed doors first (more on this in a bit). Q: How can I make the Green Tentacle help me? Have Syd or Razor make a demo tape. To do this, get the Casette Tape from the Loose Panel in the Library, go to the TV Room, put it in the player, set it to record, and then jam on the piano. Now take the tape and show it to the Green Tentacle. He'll tell you about his dream of starting a band. Then send the tape to Mark Eteer (the publishing company guy on the TV), and you should get a recording contract in the mail after a short while. Show the Green Tentacle the Contract and he'll help you get past the Purple Tentacle. Q: I found a Meteor Police Badge in the dungeon after they hauled off the Meteor. What can I do with this? Show it to the Purple Tentacle and he'll leave you alone. Q: What do I do with the Manuscript? If you have Wendy, you can re-write it using the Typewriter in the family room and then send it to Mark Eteer. He'll send you back a publishing contract for the Meteor. You can use the contract to get past the Purple Tentacle. Just don't show it to the Green Tentacle, or he'll get quite angry. Q: What's the combination to the Inner Door? After you open the Outer Door locks, you'll have to enter a number on the Inner Door. You can find out the number by playing the Meteor Mess game in the Arcade after Dr. Fred plays a few rounds. It will be the #1 score (note the Mario Brothers jingle that plays after you finish playing the game). If you didn't fix the wires,en the combination will always be 0000. Note that Fred may come back to play the game every now and then, in which case the combination will change again. Q: What do all these #$&@! keys do? Key- Opens the front door. Rusty Key- Opens the door to the dungeon. Silver Key- Opens the locked door in the pantry that leads to the pool. Yellow Key- Starts up the Edsel and opens the trunk of the Edsel. Small Key- Allows you to open the coin boxes in the arcade and get your quarter back. Glowing Key- Opens up the padlocks on the Outer Door. Q: How can I get past the Purple Tentacle? There are several ways to do this. 1) Show him the Meteor Police badge. He'll think that you're with the Meteor Police and will leave you alone. 2) If you gave Wierd Ed his plans or the Green Tentacle the recording contract after showing him your tape, they'll get rid of him for you and say some pretty entertaining quotes. Ed: Leave 'em alone, Sucker Face! Green Tentacle: I thought I told you to leave my band members alone! 3) Show him the contract for the meteor's Manuscript. He'll assume that it's important and let you through. Q: What's the Pepsi machine for in Fred's lab? Just what it sounds like. Put a quarter in, and you get a can of Pepsi. The Pepsi won't do you much good, though, as the house is about to blow sky-high. Q: What's the code to shut down the machine? No amount of punching the buttons will help, because only Dr. Fred knows the codes to disable the self-destruct, and the Meteor has control of the system, preventing him or anyone else from doing so! Q: How do I get rid of the Meteor? For these methods, you must grab the Radiation suit from the locker in Fred's lab and put it on. That way the Meteor won't be able to zap you with his radioactive beam of death when you try and grab him. There are several ways to do this. You MUST have the yellow key for the first method, and the Edsel must still be in the garage. Turn off the machine (throw the switch in the Meteor's room), grab the Meteor, and go up the pathway to the garage. Throw the meteor in the trunk, close the trunk, and start up the car for a rather funny ending. If the garage has been destroyed (IE: the edsel has blasted off), another method is to grab the meteor, run all the way upstairs to the Family Room, and feed it to the plant. You'll have to hurry, because the self-destruct mechanism will be going the whole time. I think you need to have mutated the plant with irradiated water to make this one work. The third way is to open the Inner and Outer doors, and then call the Meteor Police. They'll arrive and take the Meteor away. Then all you have to do is flip the switch and the madness will be over. You don't even need the Radiation Suit for this one. Finally, you can give the Meteor the publishing contract for the Manuscript. Be sure to equip yourself with the Radiation Suit and shut off the Zom-B-Matic before doing so, otherwise he won't listen to you. Q: Where's the Meteor Police badge? Once you call the Meteor Police and both the doors to the lab are open, they'll come and take the Meteor away. In their haste to haul him away they'll drop a badge in the Dungeon. Q: I called the Meteor Police and they refuse to help me! If you call them too many times and they're unable to get through to the Meteor, they'll get mad and refuse to show up anymore. Make sure both the lab doors in the dungeon are unlocked and open before you call them. Q: What are the only requirements to beat the game? The only things that are absolutely required to beat the game are: -You get into the house. -You get past the Green Tentacle to go upstairs. -You find a way to get past the Purple Tentacle. -You get rid of the Meteor. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- Items Start With CD Player- Gotta have tunes, right? Every character has one of these. Starting Area Warning Sign- Don't say we didn't warn you... Front Door Address Sign- The number keeps changing. Makes you wonder how the mailman finds it every time. Door Mat- There might be something under it... Key- Opens the front door. Left Bushes- They conceal the grate. Right Bushes- They're just there to look good. Doorbell- Useful for getting attention, especially in a house this big. Front Hall Right Gargoyle head- Give it a push. Grandfather Clock- the entrance to Fred's lab in the sequel, Day of the Tentacle. However, in Maniac Mansion, the clock is useless. Living Room Old Fashion Radio- Has a radio tube in it. Radio tube- You can use it to fix something upstairs. Old Rusty Key- Gets your friends out of the dungeon. Too bad it's out of reach. Chandelier- The Rusty Key is on top of it. Library Loose Panel- It's hiding something... Cassette Tape- Useful for recording stuff. Phone- Who 'ya gonna call? Chuck the Plant- A plant named Chuck? An inside joke, perhaps? Kitchen Microwave- Useful for steaming open envelopes and such... Faucet- A good bet if you need a water source. Can of Pepsi- "Wow, 12 fluid ounces. That's a lot!" -Green Tentacle Flashlight- Useful in the case of power failures and such. Batteries- They're long past the "best before" date. Dining Room Nothing worthwhile Pantry Bottle of Developer- Ed's plans can't be developed without this. It's up on a high shelf, though. Glass Jar- Fill it with water. Can be used many times. Fruit Drinks- The Green Tentacle likes them. Grate- The developer falls onto the great. Pool Water- It's radioactive! Pool Chair- The Radio's on it. Radio- It needs batteries to run, doesn't it? Batteries- "Bring me those batteries!" -Emperor Palpatine Glowing Key- This shining key might get you somewhere important. Then again, maybe it's just glowing because it's been sitting next to those cooling rods for years... Garage Gate- It's known to jam from time to time... Cement Slab- Something dangerous lurks below... Faucet Handle- You might be able to fix something upstairs. Wierd Edsel- There's some tools in the trunk. Rocket Engine- It looks pretty powerful... Tools- Used to fix various things. 2f Landing Steel Security Door- Usually steel security doors are locked, but not this time. Painting Room Wax Fruit- The Green Tentacle's favorite. Paint Remover- Removes paint from various objects. TV Room Piano- Musicians will like it. TV- Sit back and watch some TV. Victrola- Plays records. Broken Record- Send Mark Eteer a recording for a funny result. Cassette Recorder- Lets you record stuff. Piano sounds, broken records, high-pitched noises that crack glass, whatever you want. Hallway Keypad- Umm...it's broken. Don't use it. No! Stop! AAAHHHH! Run for your life! Fred's office Manuscript- The writing is awful! Arcade Meteor Mess game- The high score isn't what it seems. Coin Box- You can get your money back after playing when you unlock the coin box. 3F landing Nothing useful. Darkroom Developer Tray- This is where the developer fluid goes. Enlarger- Used to enlarge pictures. 4f hall Nothing useful here. Fred's room Dime- You use it to pay for things. Radio- You could call someone, if it wasn't missing a radio tube. Wanted Poster- Has the Meteor Police's number. Green Tentacle's room Mondo Stereo- You can play cassettes on it. Really, really loud. Record- The Tentacle Mating Call! Yellow Key- Starts up the Wierd Edsel. Why the Green Tentacle has it, I'll never know. Edna's Room Small Key- Opens the coin boxes in the arcade. Perfume- Oddly enough, the bottle is immovable (not actually a useful item, I just had to bring this up). Edna's attic Painting- The safe is hidden behind it. Scrawled Number- It's too small to read by normal means. Envelope- It has a quarter in it. You can also send stuff with it. Quarter- Arcade games are only a quarter, right? Ed's Room Hamster- Ed's best friend. Card Key- Behind the hamster. It's needed to reach the Meteor. Piggy Bank- Ed's secret hoard. Has several dimes in it. Ted's Room Hunk-O-Matic Machine (TM)- Makes you strong enough to pry open rusted grates and insanely heavy garage doors. GRRRR! Hulk... SMASH!! Ted's Bathroom Sponge- Soaks up liquid substances. Sink- The handle's missing. Family Room Typewriter- You can write stuff with it. Paint Blotch- Something is hidden behind it. Plant- It's susceptible to radiation. Hatch- It seems to be out of reach. Attic Wires- A little electric tape will fix 'em right up. Observatory Telescope- Can see stuff that is very, very small to the naked eye. Basement Fuse Box- All the house's power is controlled here. Circuit Breakers- Cuts the power or turns it back on. Silver Key- Unlocks the door in the pantry. Dungeon Loose Brick- It holds the secret to escaping the dungeon. Bottom Padlock- It takes a glowing key to unlock it. Top Padlock- The glowing key works on this one, too. Inner Door- Input pass code, please. Badge- The Meteor Police drop this in their haste to haul off the Meteor. Outer Lab Nothing useful here. Inner Lab Vending Machine- Anyone for a Pepsi? Locker- Contains a radiation suit. Radiation Suit- Put it on if you're confronting the Meteor. Card Slot- The Card Key goes here. Meteor's room Switch- turns off the evil ZOM-B-MATIC. Meteor- Get rid of him while he's defenseless! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- Tricks and Secrets If you have a version of the game that allows you to blow up the hamster in the microwave, you can nuke the hamster and then give the nuked hamster to Ed. This will 'kill' your character, but oddly enough, they will still be able to play as if they never died at all. They will simply be invisible. Be warned, however, you will lose all your items when you do this, so give your important stuff to the other two characters before you try this (if you lost the Card Key or something else of importance, you won't be able to complete the game). Being invisible doesn't mean Edna, Ed, and the others can't detect your presence, but it's just kind of fun to do. Since the 'invisible' character is still considered killed in action, if the other two characters die, it's game over for you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- If you look around in Ed's room, you can see a model of an X wing from Star Wars. Apparently Lucas Arts did some free advertising in this game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- There are several ways to kill off your team members in this game. It's kind of evil, but it can make the game's endings more interesting (try killing off Wendy, then giving the manuscript to the meteor, etc.). 1) Drain the pool, then refill it while there is a kid (or two kids, for the truly evil) still down in the pool. 2) Nuke Ed's hamster in the microwave and then give it back to him (see above glitch). 3) Don't put on the radiation suit and try to grab the meteor. 4) Fill the glass jar with pool water and put it in the microwave. The radioactive steam will fry them (apparently the water is radioactive, but I guess that's what you get when you put cooling rods in the pool). 5) Blow up the house by draining the pool for too long, shutting off the power for too long, using the keypad in the upstairs hall, or pressing the red button in the pool. Let this be a lesson to us all in home nuclear safety. 6) Let the self-destruct timer run out when you reach Fred's lab. KABOOOOOOM! The house explodes into a gigantic fireball! ) Send Mark Eteer a demo tape without showing it to the Green Tentacle first. Then show the contract to the Green Tentacle. He'll kill you out of jealousy. 8) Show the Green Tentacle the contract for the Meteor's manuscript. The Green Tentacle hates the Meteor, so he'll kill you. 9) Brian Lindseth (brian1721@hotmail.com) sends this one: Hey, i just read your FAQ for Maniac Mansion it's great! This is one of my favorite games ever. You left out a way to kill your people, though! You know when you play the tape in the living room that breaks the chandelier? If there is a kid standing underneath the chandelier when you do this, he will die becuase it falls on him. I dont know if you want to put this in your FAQ or not, but it is a fun way to kill off your characters. 10) Apparently there is a way to look through the telescope and see a monster, and have your character die. I recall having seen a monster through the 'scope at times, but so far have had no luck in offing my character as a result. Anyone know which way you have to rotate the scope? (I haven't verified the 9th or 10th myself yet) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- You can send Mark Eteer some unusual things for some rather funny results. Try sending him 1) A tape with nothing recorded. 2) A tape with the Broken Record recorded. 3) A tape with the record in the Green Tentacle's room recorded on it (this one is hilarious!). 4) The meteor's manuscript before Wendy edits it. Just remember to save the game first! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- On that note, you can also give different "demo tapes" to the Green Tentacle for funny results. Try giving him... 1. A blank tape. 2. A tape with the Broken Record recorded. 3. A tape with the record in the Green Tentacle's room recorded on it. There's no need to save beforehand, either, since you can simply re- record whatever you need on the tape. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- If you go into the kitchen in the first 10 or so minutes of the game (before the first cinema scene with Fred and Sandy), you'll find Edna, who will chase you and try to catch you and haul you away to the dungeon. If you manage to escape the kitchen before she catches you, she won't follow you out to the front hall. She moves pretty quick, though, so it won't be easy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- Before Ed comes down to the kitchen to get something to eat, you can take the cheese so that he won't be able to. This doesn't have any effect on the game's outcome, it just changes the cinema of Ed's search of the fridge slightly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------ If you enter Edna's room and she sees you, Don't be fooled into thinking you've gotten away if you run into the hall. She'll follow you out into the hallway and resume the chase! She won't follow you if you enter another room, though, so make a break for somewhere else. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- You can freeze Ed or Edna by entering their room, then immediately switching to another kid before they grab you. Wait 30-40 seconds, then switch back, and they should just stand there. This is useful if you need to sneak into Edna's vault or grab the Card Key from Ed's room. Don't mess with Ed's hamster or his piggy bank, though, or he'll spring to life and throw you in the dungeon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- Maniac Mansion was originally a TV series on the Family Channel according to the instruction booklet and the cartridge's sticker. I never saw it, but I felt it was worth mentioning, (and it's mentioned in the sequel, Day of the Tentacle) so... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- One of the possible radio numbers for the Meteor Police is 1138. In the movie Star Wars: A New Hope, this is also the cell number that a disguised Luke Skywalker is performing a "prisoner transfer" from. Is this number some kind of inside joke, or am I just a nerd for noticing this? Michael Lindseth (michael_lindseth@hotmail.com) writes: Hey, I was just reading your Maniac Mansion FAQ and saw your comment about the Meteor Police number 1138 being in Star Wars. Well, I'm not sure if anyone has told you this, but before Star Wars, George Lucas made a movie called THX-1138. The number 1138 is a Lucasarts running gag. Brian Henderson (brian1721@hotmail.com) writes: Oh, also the 1138 thing is kinda an inside joke with Lucas. One of his first films was thx-1138, there was that star wars thing that you mentioned in your FAQ, and in AMERICAN GRAFITTI the yellow car (Harrison Ford's car) has a liscence plate that says THX 113 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- On the poster that came with the Maniac Mansion game, it hints that Jeff gains temporary psychic power when he sustains an electric shock, which allows him to tell the high score on the Meteor Mess game. Does this have any application to the game? Thanks to Borgis Khan on the gamefaqs boards for this bit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- The library in Maniac Mansion also appears in a PC game called Outlaws. It's said to be modeled after either the Lucasarts library or the Skywalker Ranch library. Thanks to Borgis Khan for this bit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- In the PC version of the game, the cabinet in Dr. Fred's office can be examined. When someone tries to open it, though, it says it requires a "special key." The cabinet cannot be examined in the NES version. Version 1.22 revision: The cabinet doesn't display the "Cabinet" descriptor when you run the cursor over it in the NES version of the game, but it still can be examined with a similar result to that of the PC game. There is no way to open the cabinet in either version. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- There is an invisible pennant on the wall in Ed's room. When you use the Read command on it, it says "SCUMM U. RAH!" (SCUMM is the development team for Maniac Mansion.) The pennant is visible in the PC version. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- Endings This game has great replay value because of its multiple endings. Many of them are rather funny ("Everyone within five miles is dead. Play again!"). 1) Get rid of the Meteor via the Edsel. 2) Get rid of the Meteor via the giant plant. 3) Kill off Dave, then get rid of the Meteor via the Edsel. 4) Kill off Dave, then get rid of the Meteor via the giant plant. 5) Give the Manuscript Contract to the Meteor. 6) Kill off Wendy, then give the Manuscript Contract to the Meteor. 7) Call in the Meteor Police. Once they take the Meteor away, turn off the machine. 8) Kill off Dave, then call in the Meteor Police. Once they haul off the Meteor, turn off the machine. 9) Kill off all three kids without blowing up the house. 10) Blow up the house. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- Other stuff. MANY thanks to Christopher James Pepin and his great Maniac Mansion FAQ, which was a lot of help in writing this. Many thanks to Lucasarts, for making one of the greatest adventure games ever! Thanks to everyone on the Maniac Mansion game board at www.gamefaqs.com. Thanks to anyone else who contributed to this FAQ's completion. If you have any questions, comments or corrections, e-mail me at edmoogle@hotmail.com or brunerp@juno.com NOTE: Put the words "Maniac Mansion FAQ" somewhere in the subject to insure that I get your e-mail.