Every Lucasarts Adventure Game: Ranked Worst To Best

11. Maniac Mansion

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Where would be without Maniac Mansion? This list probably wouldn't be a thing for starters, let alone Thimbleweed Park.

It's hard to overstate the importance of Maniac Mansion to the adventure genre; ballasted by Ron Gilbert's pioneering SCUMM engine (which takes its name from the game), the B-movie parody practically invented point 'n' click, finally putting to rest the unwieldy text parsers of the past. Whilst failure is possible, gone are the days of a suddenly dying of embarrassment as a result of typing 'take off clothes'. Instead, 'enjoyment' is the watchword, not 'exasperation'.

Maniac Mansion is relatively reduced compared to it successors, spun around an uncomplicated plot of deliverance, but its open-ended nature and multiple protagonists give it a veneer of depth. Typical of Gilbert, the writing is mordantly droll, and it's perhaps the only game in history that allows you to microwave a hamster. You can't put a price on rodent radiation.

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Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.