I Spy Spooky Mansion

I Spy Spooky Mansion is a point-and-click puzzle game from 1999. Black Hammer Productions developed it, and Scholastic published it, drawing on the I Spy children's book series. Players begin at the entrance of a haunted mansion, enter, and find themselves locked inside. A skeleton named Skelly, voiced by Amy Birnbaum, acts as the Guide, telling the player they need to collect puzzle pieces to get out. In each room, players search for hidden objects or words listed at the bottom of the screen. Once all items in a room are found, Skelly appears and gives them a puzzle piece. After gathering 15 pieces, players combine them inside a picture frame to reveal instructions for reaching Skelly’s secret study in the library. Following those instructions, players pull three books in a specific order—blue, then green, then red—which moves a head on the bookshelf and opens the secret entrance. Inside the study, players escape through a window by climbing down a rope with Skelly, returning to the front entrance. Skelly then invites them back for more riddles. The next goal is to find ingredients for Skelly’s favorite recipe: Shrinking Soup. After collecting all ingredients, the player eats the soup and escapes through a mousehole by the front door, again ending up at the entrance. Skelly invites them in for a final round of riddles. To escape a third time, players must collect all parts to fix Skelly’s ghost machine. Once repaired, the machine creates ghosts from objects in the mansion. After six ghosts are made, a seventh appears: Skelly crawls into the machine and becomes the “Get-Out Ghost,” which propels the player out through the chimney. Skelly congratulates the player, and the game ends.

Scholastic released a “Deluxe” version on September 12, 2004, an iPhone version on September 3, 2010, and a Wii version in October 2010. These re-releases expand the original game by adding a new story after the secret message is uncovered, plus extra rooms. They include 33 I Spy riddles, though many require revisiting earlier stages multiple times.

Reviewing the PC Deluxe version, Carol Ellison of PCMAG said the “fun factor [was] powerful” and that parents would enjoy it “as much as the kids.” GameRankings gave the Wii version 50% based on four reviews.