I know people are laughing at me. It's these stupid nose glasses I'm wearing. You know, those fake glasses with a big nose, bushy eyebrows, and a mustache. On top of that, my mother's mad because I haven't called, but I'm not taking any chances--I'm not going to touch a telephone, and I'm going to keep wearing these stupid nose glasses until I solve the riddle behind Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders. A fellow can't be too careful.
But I'm getting ahead of the story. Let me start at the beginning.
As a hotshot reporter for The National Inquisitor, the sleaziest tabloid to grace a supermarket checkout line, Zak McKracken is assigned to investigate a rampaging two-headed squirrel that's terrifying campers near Seattle. Zak is tired of dreaming up yams about vegetarian vampires and carnivorous cantaloupes, but he agrees to do this one last story before he writes his novel.
Since Zak's going to be in the area anyway, his boss wants him to check out the 50th anniversary of the 1947 UFO sightings near Mount Rainier.
Zak reluctantly agrees, picks up an airline ticket to Seattle, and returns to his apartment. Later that night he has a strange dream about a giant face on the surface of Mars, a map of the Earth, a sinister-looking alien, an attractive brunette, and a pair of ominous nose glasses.
Zak's dream is also a convenient place to run the credits for this zany adventure by Lucasfilm Games. That's the same group who dreamed up Maniac Mansion. Make sure you keep one eye on the dream while reading the credits or you'll miss several important clues to the game.
Speaking of clues, check out the complimentary copy of The National Inquisitor that's included with the software. It's packed with great stories such as the one about the fellow who used a dime to free himself from his wrecked Toyota. Good taste prevents me from revealing what part a wet rat played in his survival, but there are plenty of other tantalizing tidbits. Read about a mechanic who turned a VW bus into a space shuttle. Dissolving parachutes, singing dolphins, Egyptian practical jokers, and a wondrous zip-open tummy diet are just a few of the journalistic jewels found in Zak's tabloid.
The top story, however, is the stupidity epidemic that's plaguing the world. It's been linked to a group of aliens who are running the telephone company, according to the Inquisitor. These noseless fiends have connected a stupidity machine to the phone system, and its 60-cycle hum is turning everyone's brains to mashed potatoes. It won't take you long to discover that saving the world from this nefarious plot is Zak's true mission.
You have to guide Zak and his friends, Annie, Melissa, and Leslie, to a number of exotic locales where they must solve a variety of puzzles. They have to piece together fragments of an ancient puzzle, unmask the aliens, and turn off the insidious stupidity machine. Zak needs the help of his friends, but he has to find them first.
If using a team of characters to solve the game's puzzle sounds a little like Maniac Mansion, it's no accident. This animated adventure uses the same format and user interface.
When characters speak, their words appear at the top of the screen. Below that is the animation window. This is where the action takes place, and it fills up most of the screen. Below that is a sentence line and a list of verbs. Instead of your trying to guess which words the game's parser understands, your choices are listed on the screen. Click on the verb you want; then move the joystick to an object on the screen or to the items in a character's inventory and click the fire button again. The program automatically builds a sentence. Click once more and the character carries out the directions.
These directions often require the program to access the disk. Since the game's designers know the 1541's less-than-speedy reputation, a snail icon appears on the screen until the game continues. This type of humor pervades the story. Another example is on the plane to Seattle, where you'll probably have Zak visit the rest room-if you can get past the cranky stewardess. Click on the verb Use and then click on Toilet. The resulting action won't offend anyone-even your grandmother-but it is funny. The game is packed with humor.
Zak and his friends have to solve dozens of puzzles, and there are a number of possible solutions. Just use your imagination and try several objects in your inventory. Be sure to read the tabloid for clues. There are even a couple of clues in the game's instructions.
Since the game's two disks are copy-protected, the manual suggests you make backup copies and put originals' in a safe place. It also explains how to install the game on a hard disk. If your character leaves the country you'll have to enter an exit visa code for the game to continue, so don't lose the code sheets.
Naturally, you won't complete the game in one sitting, but you can save your progress on a separate disk. After you've seen the opening sequences couple of times, you can easily skip them when restarting a saved game so you can get right to the story.
As in Maniac Mansion, the action occasionally is interrupted with a cut scene. These are short animated sequences that provide clues and information about the aliens and the mischief they have in mind.
The animation is amusing, the plot is entertaining and funny, and the puzzles are mindbending without being discouraging. In short, Zak's a winner.
Wait a minute! Did I say mindbending? OK, that does it. I don't care what other people say. I'm going to keep wearing these nose glasses until I solve this puzzle. But it's so much fun, I hope it takes weeks and weeks. Sorry, mother.
-Tom Netsi
@COMPUTE!'s Gazette