| The Manhole | |
|---|---|
Cover art |
|
| Developer(s) | Cyan Worlds |
| Publisher(s) | Brøderbund, Activision |
| Designer(s) | Rand and Robyn Miller |
| Engine | Multimedia Applications Development Environment |
| Platform(s) | Mac OS, PC Engine, MS-DOS, FM Towns, Microsoft Windows, Apple iOS |
| Release date(s) | 1988, 1989, 1992, 1995, 2007 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Media/distribution | CD-ROM (1) |
The Manhole is a computer adventure game intended for children in which the player opens a manhole and reveals a gigantic beanstalk that can be climbed either up or down, leading to fantastic worlds in either case.
The game was first released on floppy discs in 1988 by Cyan, Inc. (now Cyan Worlds) and distributed through mail order.[1] In 1989, it was produced for Activision as CD-ROM version based on that floppy disc game.[2] This version is notable for being the first computer game distributed on CD-ROM.[3] It runs in black-and-white on the Apple Macintosh line of computers. It was created using the HyperTalk programming language by brothers Rand and Robyn Miller, who founded the company Cyan and would go on to produce the best-selling adventure game Myst. The Manhole was later also released for the PC Engine and FM Towns.
The game was re-released for MS-DOS twice, once in 1992 by Activision as The Manhole: New and Enhanced (including a Windows 3.1 version) and again in 1995 as The Manhole: CD-ROM Masterpiece Edition by Brøderbund which featured the use of color, music, voice, sound effects, and some new characters. Cyan artist Chuck Carter designed all of the color graphics in about 3 months using StrataVision 3D. In 2007, the game was released on GameTap.[4] As of February 2011 the game is available from Good Old Games [5], the Apple iOS[6], and as part of the "Cyan Complete Pack" on Steam[7].
The Manhole is a notable computer game because like Cosmic Osmo and Spelunx it has no goal and no end; the object is simply to explore and have fun.