LUCASFILM'"

G A M E S

AND THE ALIE N MINDBENDERS

by Lucasfil m Games
Created and Designed by
David Fox, Matthew Kane, David Spangler, and Ron Gilber t
Scripted and Programmed by David Fox and Matthew Kan e
"SCUMM" Story System by Ron Gilber t
Background Art by Mark J . Ferarri, Basilio Amaro, and Martin Camero n
Character Animation by Gary Winnic k
IBM Sound Effects by Matthew Kane and David Warho l
Amiga Sound Effects by Brian Hales
Atari ST Sound Effects by David Warhol and Dan Filne r
Original Music by Matthew Kan e
IBM Version by Aric Wilmunde r
Amiga Version by Aric Wilmunder, Edward Kilham, and Steve Hale s
Atari ST Version by Aric Wilmunder, Steve Hales ,
Bill Darrah, Brian Hales, and John Russel l
Creative and Technical Support by Ron Gilbert, Aric Wilmunder ,
Chip Morningstar, Noah Falstein, and Randy Farme r
Project Directed by David Fox
Lucasfilm Games General Manager, Steve Arnol d
Production Management, Akila J . Redme r
Marketing Management, Doug Glen
Administrative Support, Paula Hendricksen and Mary Bih r
Thanks to all our playtesters ,
especially Judith Lucero Turchin, Kris Kahn ,
Leslie Edwards, Kalani Streicher, and Tim Partenfelde r
Cover art by Steve Purcel l
Package designed by Paul Curti n
National Inquisitor written by Victor Cros s
Special thanks to George Lucas

IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines, Inc . Tandy is a registere d

trademark of Tandy Corporation . Amiga is a registered trademark of Commodore-Amiga, Inc .
Atari and ST are registered trademarks of Atari Corporation . Zak McKracken and the Alien
Mindbenders, character names, and all other elements of the game fantasy are trademark s
of Lucasfilm Ltd . TM & 1989 Lucasfilm Ltd . (LFL) All rights reserved .

About Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders

It's 1997, and the world is a dumber place than ever . . . Space aliens have built
a stupidity machine that's slowly reducing everyone's IQ to single digits . Wors e
yet, the only person who can stop them is Zak McKracken, reporter for th e
disreputable National Inquisitor, who dreams up stories about carnivorou s
cantaloupes and vegetarian vampires .
They've taken over the phone company . . . Sure sounds like another one o f
Zak's tabloid fantasies . But while most people wouldn't believe him, he finds
three who don't need convincingAnnie, head of the Society for Ancien t
Wisdom, and her friends, Leslie and Melissa, two Yale coeds who traveled t o
Mars in their modified van . The four of them must piece together fragments o f
an ancient puzzle, unmask the aliens, and destroy the stupidity machine .
Here's where you come in . . . You direct the actions of Zak, Annie, Melissa, an d
Leslie, taking them to many exotic places where they discover some prett y
strange objectsand some even stranger characters !
To help you solve the game's dozens of puzzles, movie-like "cut-scenes" wil l
appear from time to time . They will reveal new dimensions of the story b y
showing you what's happening elsewhere in Zak's world . You'll also find plenty
of valuable clues in the enclosed copy of the National Inquisitor.
If this is your first computer adventure game, be prepared for an entertainin g
challenge . It may take a while to figure out some of the puzzles . If you ge t
stuck, you might need to solve another puzzle first or use an object you haven' t
yet found . But if you hang in there and use your imagination, you will guide Za k
and company to victory!

Getting Started
NOTE : It is recommended that you first make backup copies of all disks an d
put the originals in a safe place.

IBM, Tandy, or Compatible :

You can play from either a hard drive or a

floppy drive .
From a floppy drive, after booting, place Disk 1 in drive A and type : A :
When you see the A : prompt, type : zak When prompted, put in Disk 2 or 3 .
To install Zak McKracken on a hard disk, copy all the files from your Za k
McKracken disks into a directory called "zak" on the hard disk . If your har d
disk is drive C, you would use the following commands :
c:
mkdir zak

(to get to your hard drive )

(to create a directory for Zak McKracken )

cd zak

(to go into the new directory)

copy a :* .*

(repeat for each diskette to copy all the Zak McKracken files into
the new directory)
1

Use these commands to start the game from your hard disk :
cd zak
(to change to the correct directory )
zak

(to start the game )

To use a two-drive IBM system, press Shift-D any time after the first scree n
appears . If you are using 5 1/4" diskettes, keep Disk 2 in drive B and swa p
Disks 1 and 3 in drive A when prompted . If you are using 3 1/2" diskettes ,
keep Disk 1 in drive A and Disk 2 in drive B .
If you have a 1.2M or larger diskette drive, you may copy the files from all the
Zak diskettes onto a single high-density diskette .

Amiga : Bring up Workbench on your Amiga . Insert Zak McKracken Disk 1 i n

your disk drive . Open the disk icon and double-click on the Zak icon (the bi g
nose glasses) . When prompted, put in Disk 2 .
To use a two-drive Amiga system, place Disk 2 in your second drive .
To install Zak McKracken on a hard disk, first use your Workbench menu t o
create an empty file drawer called "Zak". Without opening the Zak drawer,
insert Disk 1 into the drive, double-click on its icon, and drag both the Zak an d
Rooms icons into the new hard disk drawer. Then insert Disk 2 into the drive ,
double-click on its icon, and drag its Rooms icon into the new hard disk drawer.
(Note : If you open the hard disk drawer before moving the icons, take care no t
to drag the second Rooms icon on top of the first one . If you do so accidently ,
simply delete the hard disk Rooms drawer and re-copy the Rooms icons fro m
both disks . If you launch Zak from the CLI, you must first move to the Za k
directory. )

Atari ST : Insert Zak McKracken Disk 1 in drive A . Open the drive A drawe r
icon and double-click on the Zak program icon (ZAK .PRG) you find inside . Whe n
prompted, put in Disk 2 or Disk 3 .
To use a two-drive Atari ST system, place Disk 2 in drive B . When prompted to
insert Disk 3, you may put it in either drive . You may reduce disk swaps b y
keeping Disk 2 inserted at all times and swapping Disks 1 and 3 whe n
prompted .
If you have double-sided drives (720K), you may combine the three Zak disks
as follows : format two 720K diskettes . Copy the contents of Disk 1 to you r
first formatted diskette . Next copy the contents of Disks 2 and 3 to you r
second formatted diskette . To play the game if you have a single-drive system ,
insert your new Disk 2/3 when either Disk 2 or 3 is requested . If you have a
two-drive system, keep both new disks inserted .
To install Zak McKracken on a hard disk, create a folder called "Zak". Without
opening the Zak folder, insert Disk 1 into the drive and copy its contents b y
dragging its icon into the new hard disk folder. Then open the hard disk Zak
folder. You will see the Zak program and a folder called "Rooms". Insert Disk 2
2

into the drive and drag its icon into the Rooms folder on the hard disk . Finally,
insert Disk 3 into the drive and drag its icon into the Rooms folder on the hard
disk .

Cursor Control (IBM only)

For keyboard cursor control, use either the arrow keys or the keypad :

Numbers 1, 3, 7, and 9 take the cursor directly to the corners of the display ;
use the even-numbered keys for finer navigation .
You can use a mouse if you have installed a compatible mouse driver . The lef
t
mouse button corresponds to "enter ." Use the right mouse button (or righ t
joystick button if you have a two-button joystick) to override cut-scenes . To
select joystick or mouse, type :
Shift-J Toggle joystick on/off
Shift-M Toggle mouse on/of f

Setting Preferences (IBM only )

When loaded, the program will select the best mode for your machine . When
the game is running you can select other graphics modes by using these
shifted keys :
Shift-VVGA/ MCGA mode
Shift-H Hercules mod e
Shift-E EGA mode
Shift-T Tandy 16-color mod e
Shift-C CGA mod e
After selecting the modes that you want, you can type "Shift-W" to write you r
preferences to disk . To Read the preferences while playing the game type
"Shift-R", or type "zak p" when starting a game .
Note : The program will do nothing if you select a mode or input device that you r
machine can't support . If you have an EGA or VGA card and are willing to trad e
colors for speed, try playing the game in CGA mode .

Snap Scroll (IBM only)

On slower machines, you may want to disable smooth scrolling to speed u p
game play . Press Shift-S to toggle the Snap Scroll mode .

Playing the Game

After the opening title sequence, you will see Zak standing in his bedroom .
When he turns to face you and the text appears at the bottom of the screen ,
you will be ready to start directing his actions .
1) The Message Lines are the two lines at the very top of the screen . Word s
spoken by any of the characters, as well as game-related messages, appea r
here .
2) The Animation Window is the largest part of the screen and is where th e
animated action takes . It shows the "camera's eye view" of the room o r
location that the currently active character is in .
3) The Sentence Line is directly below the Animation Window . You use this lin e
to construct sentences that tell the characters what to do . A sentence consists
of a verb (action word) and one or two nouns (objects) . An example of a
sentence you might construct on the Sentence Line is Use crayon on tor n
wallpaper." Connecting words like "on" or "with" will be automatically inserte d
by the program .
4) Verbs must be selected from the words in the columns below the Sentenc e
Line . All the verbs shown can be used . Check the list from time to timene w
verbs will appear as the game progresses . To select a verb, position the curso r
over the word and click .
5) The Inventory is the area below the Verbs . Each character you control has
his or her own Inventory . At the beginning of the game Zak starts with only on e
object. When a character picks up or is given an object during game play, th e
object's name is added to the character's Inventory. There is no limit to the
number of objects a character can carry. When there are more than fou r
objects in an Inventory, arrows appear in the middle of the list . Use them t o
scroll the list up or down .
Nouns (objects) can be selected in two ways . You may select a noun by placin g
the cursor over an object in the Animation Window and clicking . Most objects i n
the environment, and all usable objects in the game, have names . If an object
has a name, it will appear on the Sentence Line when you click on it . You ma y
also select nouns by clicking on them in the Inventory.
To move a character around, select "Walk to" from the Verbs by positionin g
your cursor over it and clicking . Then move your cursor into the Animatio n
Window, point it where you want the character to go, and click . If you point to
an open door and click, the character will walk through it . Notice that "Walk to "
appears automatically on the Sentence Line after a sentence has bee n
executedthis is because moving around is what your characters will be doin g
most often .
To tell a character to carry out the directions you've put on the Sentenc e
Line, either click once more on the final noun or verb selected, or click once o n
4

Read phone bil l

u h Open
Walk to Put on
Turn o n
Pull tIose Pick up Take off . Turn off ;
Give Read
What is Us e
phone bill
remote contro l
butter knife
yellow crayo n
the Sentence Line itself . If nothing happens, double check the way yo u
constructed the sentence.
To replace a noun or verb on the Sentence Line without reconstructing th e
entire sentence, simply click on the replacement word . It will appear in the right
place in the sentence .
"Cut-scenes" are short, animated sequenceslike scenes from a
moviewhich can provide clues and information about the characters . When
you are viewing a cut-scene, you do not direct the action so the text below th e
Animation Window disappears .
Keyboard Commands
All of the verbs used in the game can also be selected by using keyboar d
commands . Each key corresponds to one verb . Pressing the appropriate key
once is equivalent to moving the cursor over the verb and pushing the button ;
pressing the key twice is the same as double-clicking on it . The keys ar e
mapped according to the layout of verbs on the screen :

Push

W
Open

R
Put o n

Switch
5

You can also select inventory items from the keyboard . On the screen, you ca n
see four items at a time in the inventory list . Use the following keys :

Scroll list up
Scroll list down

Upper left item

Lower left item

Upper right ite m

Lower right ite m

Things to Tr y
Open Zak's dresser drawer. Select "Open" from the Verbs and then click o n
the dresser in Zak's bedroom, creating the sentence, "Open dresser." Clic k
again on the dresser to execute the sentence . Zak will walk over to the dresse r
and open it .
To pick up the plastic card under Zak's desk, try the sentence, "Use phon e
bill with plastic card . "
First, place your cursor over the "Use" verb and click once . "Use" no w
appears on the sentence line .
Second, move the cursor over the phone bill in the drawer and click once ,
creating the sentence "Use phone bill with . "
Third, select the plastic card by moving your cursor over the object in th e
Animation Window. By double-clicking on the plastic card you ca n
complete the sentence and execute it at the same time . Notice that Za k
was smart enough to pick up the phone bill first .
Read Zak's phone bill by moving the cursor over "phone bill" in the Inventor y
list below the Verbs and click once, creating the sentence, "Walk to phone bill . "
This time, instead of clicking on the noun a second time, click on the "Read "
verb, changing the sentence to "Read phone bill ." Click once more on the
"Read" verb and Zak will read the bill . Notice that the final click can be o n
either the noun or the verb .
Walk Zak to his living room by first opening his bedroom door ("Open door" )
and then walking through it ("Walk to door") . The screen will iris to black whil e
the next room is loaded from disk .

Special Verbs and Function Key s

To switch control from one character to another, select the verb "Switch ." Th e
names of the four characters you can control will appear as Verbs . Place th e
cursor over the name of the character you want to control and click once . As a
short-cut, you can use function keys F1F4 to change characters (see below) .
NOTE : The Switch verb will not appear until Zak has solved several puzzle s
and meets Annie.
6

To find out what is in a room, select the "What is" verb and move the curso r
around the room . When the name of something appears on the Sentence Line ,
you'll know that it is an "active" object and you might want to use it in th e
game . If you click on that object, the "Walk to" verb will appear instead . You
can then click on the object a second time to make your character walk to it, o r
you may click on any other Verb that you want to use with that object .
To save your progress in a game, so that you can turn the computer off an d
start again in the same place, use the "save" feature . "Save" will not work
during cut-scenes . You can "save" up to ten games on a floppy disk or you r
hard disk, depending on how much free disk space there is . Previously save d
games will have an asterisk next to them, for example : Game B* . Simply pres s
the Save/Load Game function key (F5) and follow the on-screen instructions .
IBM or Atari ST : If you are using diskettes, you may save on any formatte d
diskette, including the game disks if there is room . You will be prompte d
to insert a save-game diskette in the drive that Zak was started from . I f
you installed Zak on a hard disk, the saved games will be stored in th e
Zak directory.
Amiga : If you are using diskettes, you may only save games on your Zak
McKracken Disk 1 . If you installed Zak on a hard disk, the saved game s
will be stored in the Zak drawer.
To load a game you have saved, use the Save/Load Game function key (F5 )
anytime after Zak McKracken has been loaded . You can do this during th e
opening sequence, but not during other cut-scenes . Follow the directions on th e
save-load menu .
To bypass a cut-scene, use the right mouse button or the Esc key. After you've
played Zak McKracken several times, you may want to use this function to ski p
over scenes you have seen before, including the title sequence . (While traveling
on jet airliners during the game, this same key can be used to reach you r
destination immediately. )
To restart the game from the beginning, press the F8 key.
To pause the game, press the space bar. Press it again to resume play. Th e
game will automatically pause if you make no input for five minutes, and you
will need to press the space bar to continue playing .
The cursor will change when the disk is being accessed or the game i s
paused ; a picture of a snail replaces the cursor during these times .
To adjust the speed of the Message Line to suit your reading speed, press the
< key to make the messages stay up longer or the > key to make them stay u p
for a shorter period of time .
To turn the IBM or Atari ST sound off and on, press the F6 key. Note that
Amiga sound can be adjusted with the volume control on the monitor or stereo .
To end the game, press Ctrl-C .
7

Function and Command Keys

IBM

AMIGA

ATARI ST

Zak

F1

F1

F1

Annie

F2

F2

F2

Melissa

F3

F3

F3

Leslie

F4

F4

F4

Save or Load a Game

F5

F5

F5

Switching Characters:

Esc or right mouse/joystick butto n

Bypass a Cut-Scene

F6

Sounds Off/On

F6

Restart a Game

F8

F8

F8

Space Bar

Space Bar

Space Bar

Faster

>

>

>

Slower

<

Pause Game
Message Line Speed :

Two-Drive Mode

Shift- D

Snap Scroll On/Off

Shift- S

End a Game

Ctrl-C

<

Ctrl-C

Ctrl-C

Our Game Design Philosoph y

We believe that you buy games to be entertained, not to be whacked over th e
head every time you make a mistake . So we don't bring the game to a
screeching halt when you poke your nose into a place you haven't visite d
before . In fact, we make it downright difficult to get a character "killed . "
We think you'd prefer to solve the game's mysteries by exploring an d
discovering. Not by dying a thousand deaths . We also think you like to spen d
your time involved in the story. Not typing in synonyms until you stumble upo n
the computer's word for a certain object .
Unlike conventional computer adventures, Zak McKracken and the Alien Mind benders doesn't force you to save your progress ever y
few minutes . Instead, you're free to concentrate o n
the puzzles, characters & outrageous good humor .
Also from Lucasfilm Games . . .
Presenting Battlehawks 194 2
a WWII naval air combat simulation .
"The game is a must for both the seriou s
simulation gamer and the action gamer as well . "
Computer Gaming World

A Few Helpful Hints

Pick up everything you can . Odds are, at some point all those strange things
will serve some purpose .
Read the National Inquisitor thoroughly. It's full of clues . For example, th e
article about jet lag suggests that Zak might create a diversion in th e
airplane, get the stewardess temporarily out of the way, and find a valuabl e
hidden object.
Almost everyone you can interact with has something to offerthe Frenc h
baker, the bum in the airport, even the two-headed squirrel .
If you get stuck, and can't figure out how to go farther, try looking through al l
the items you've found and thinking how each one might be used . Thin k
about the places you've gone, and the people you've met . Chances are there
will be a connection that'll put you back on track .
You have to go out of your way to get characters in Zak McKracken killed, s o
you don't have to constantly save games before proceeding .
Several of the puzzles require coordination between two or more of th e
characters .
There is more than one way to solve many of the puzzles .
If you feel like it, take a whirlwind tour around Zak's world first, then settl e
down to serious puzzle-solving .
If your CashCard runs low, figure out how to win the lottery !
If you want to speed up game play, order a hint book .

IMPORTANT!
Don't Lose Your Exit Visa Code Boo k
Without it, you won't be able to take international flightsand you won't b e
able to complete the game .
To use the code book, watch for the Exit Visa Code reference on the scree n
when you're buying a ticket to leave the United States . You'll see, for example :

Travel key is : Section 4 (C 22)

Now, you should turn to the indicated section, column, and row and find th e
four symbols . They refer to the symbols on the screen, which you should the n
click in order . Once you've entered the code correctly, you can go on with th e
game . If you enter incorrect codes too many times in a row, something
embarrassing will happen to you .
If you lose the code book, you may purchase another from Lucasfilm Games .
Call (415) 662-1902 for details .
9

Notice : Lucasfilm reserves the right to make improvements in the product describe d
in this manual at any time and without notice .
The enclosed software product and this manual are copyrighted and all rights ar e
reserved by Lucasfilm Ltd . No part of this manual or any of the accompanying
materials may be copied, reproduced, or translated in any form or medium without th e
prior written consent of Lucasfilm Ltd .
Lucasfilm Ltd . warrants to the original consumer purchaser that the diskette s
furnished in this product will be free from defects in materials and workmanship under
normal use for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of purchase (as evidenced
by your receipt) . If any diskettes supplied as part of this product prove to be defective ,
and provided that the consumer purchaser returns the media to Lucasfilm i n
accordance with the instructions in the following paragraph, Lucasfilm will replace an y
defective diskette : (a) free of charge to the consumer purchaser, if the diskette proves
to be defective within the ninety (90) day period following the date of purchase, an d
(b) if the diskette proves to be defective after the expiration of the ninety (90) da y
warranty period, Lucasfilm will replace the defective media for a fee of $7 .50 pe r
diskette .
To obtain a replacement diskette, please return the product, postage prepaid, t o
Lucasfilm, at the address below, accompanied by proof of date of purchase, a
statement of the defect, and your name and return address . To replace defective
media after expiration of the warranty period, send the product, postage prepaid, to
Lucasfilm at the below address, enclosing proof of purchase, a statement of th e
defect, your name and return address, and a check for $7 .50 . Lucasfilm will mail a
replacement to you .
THE SOFTWARE, DISKETTES, AND DOCUMENTATION ARE PROVIDED AS IS ." THER E
IS NO WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, NO WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR USE, AND NO OTHER WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED O R
IMPLIED REGARDING THE SOFTWARE, DISKETTES OR DOCUMENTATION, EXCEPT A S
EXPRESSLY PROVIDED IN THE PRECEDING PARAGRAPH . ACCORDINGLY, THE ENTIR E
RISK AS TO THE USE, RESULTS AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE, DISKETTE S
AND DOCUMENTATION IS ASSUMED BY YOU . IN NO EVENT WILL LUCASFILM B E
LIABLE TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL OR INDIRECT
DAMAGES RESULTING FROM POSSESSION, USE, OR MALFUNCTION OF THI S
PRODUCT, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGE TO PROPERTY AND, TO TH E
EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, DAMAGES FOR PERSONAL INJURY, EVEN IF LUCASFIL M
HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF ANY SUCH DAMAGES OR LOSS . SOM E
STATES DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON THE DURATION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIE S
AND/OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIA L
DAMAGES, AND THUS THE PRECEDING LIMITATION AND/OR EXCLUSIONS AN D
LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU . THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGA L
RIGHTS, AND YOU MAY HAVE OTHER RIGHTS DEPENDING ON THE LAWS IN YOU R
STATE . YOU AGREE THAT THE LIABILITY OF LUCASFILM ARISING OUT OF ANY KIND O F
LEGAL CLAIM (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE) WILL NOT EXCEE D
THE AMOUNT YOU ORIGINALLY PAID FOR THE USE OF THIS PRODUCT .
Lucasfilm Ltd ., Games Division, P.O . Box 10307, San Rafael, CA 94912 ,
(415) 662-1902 .
BD-LF2-03