# Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders playthrough and hints **URL:** \ **Category:** Adventure/Lucasfilm Games\ **Created:** [May 18, 2018, 2:55pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704 "2018-05-18T14:55:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 64
**Author:** ![Frenzie](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/frenzie/32/4416_2.png) [@Frenzie](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Frenzie)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 8:13pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1264 "2019-11-03T20:13:59Z")
@kaiman I didn’t catch that one (probably because I’d never heard of BART), neither while playing nor an hour ago. ---
**Author:** ![ZakPhoenixMcKracken](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/zakphoenixmckracken/32/41_2.png) [@ZakPhoenixMcKracken](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/ZakPhoenixMcKracken)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 9:13am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1265 "2019-11-04T09:13:16Z")
> [@Sushi](#): > > No, the joke isn’t related to the game’s immanent dead end, only to an equally stinky end. OH! **Now** I got it!!! 💨 ---
**Author:** ![Sushi](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/sushi/32/163_2.png) [@Sushi](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Sushi)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 11:51pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1266 "2019-11-04T23:51:32Z")
Although… not sure anymore now whether it was intentional after what @kaiman said. @David, do you remember who came up with the name for the tram system on Mars and whether the double entendre is on purpose? ---
**Author:** ![David](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/david/32/11_2.png) [@David](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/David)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 12:52am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1267 "2019-11-05T00:52:55Z")
Pretty sure it was me. I wired most of Mars, I think. And yes, Face Area Rapid Transit is based on the Bay Area version. And yes, the acronym was intentional. Otherwise I would have called it Mars Area Rapid Transit or something. And at the time, BART was having some issues, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Sushi](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/sushi/32/163_2.png) [@Sushi](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Sushi)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 6:37pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1268 "2019-11-05T18:37:41Z")
Thanks, David! You know this makes it near-impossible to translate the game (that’s how I discovered it). 😅 ---
**Author:** ![Nor\_Treblig](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/nor_treblig/32/216_2.png) [@Nor\_Treblig](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Nor_Treblig)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 6:52pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1269 "2019-11-05T18:52:04Z")
> [@David](#): > > Otherwise I would have called it Mars Area Rapid Transit or something. Anyone knows a better word starting with ‘s’? Then it could be something like: ‘MARS Area Rapid Shipment’ (I know, “shipping passengers” doesn’t sound nice.) ---
**Author:** ![David](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/david/32/11_2.png) [@David](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/David)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 6:52pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1270 "2019-11-05T18:52:33Z")
Sorry about that! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sushi](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/sushi/32/163_2.png) [@Sushi](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Sushi)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 10:47pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1271 "2019-11-05T22:47:49Z")
MARS Area Railway System? (Although I hate recursive acronyms.) ---
**Author:** ![Sushi](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/sushi/32/163_2.png) [@Sushi](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Sushi)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 11:02pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1272 "2019-11-05T23:02:13Z")
Solar-powered Humanoid Intergalactic Transport Bidirectional Extraterrestrial Entities Porting ---
**Author:** ![Nor\_Treblig](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/nor_treblig/32/216_2.png) [@Nor\_Treblig](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Nor_Treblig)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 1:06am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1273 "2019-11-06T01:06:17Z")
> [@Sushi](#): > > recursive acronyms I don’t understand 🤷‍♂️ > [@Sushi](#): > > MARS Area Railway System          ^   What does MARS stand for? ---
**Author:** ![Festarossa](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/festarossa/32/15_2.png) [@Festarossa](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Festarossa)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 6:11am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1274 "2019-11-06T06:11:38Z")
MARS is for **M** ARS **A** rea **R** ailway **S** ystem. That’s the recursive acronym 😉 Same thing with e.g. PHP, which (today) stands for **P** HP: **H** ypertext **P** reprocessor. ---
**Author:** ![Sushi](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/sushi/32/163_2.png) [@Sushi](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Sushi)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 7:03am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1275 "2019-11-06T07:03:52Z")
> [@Nor\_Treblig](#): > > ^ What does MARS stand for? It stands for MARS: Another Richard Stallman Or for the less programming/IT-inclined: MARS: Another Recursive Stupidity ---
**Author:** ![Someone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Someone](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Someone)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 9:23am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1276 "2019-11-06T09:23:50Z")
> [@Festarossa](#): > > MARS is for **M** ARS **A** rea **R** ailway **S** ystem. So, you mean MARS Area Railway System Area Railway System Area Railway System Area Railway System Area Railway System Area Railway System Area Railway System Area Railway System Area Railway System? 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![ZakPhoenixMcKracken](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/zakphoenixmckracken/32/41_2.png) [@ZakPhoenixMcKracken](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/ZakPhoenixMcKracken)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 10:38am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1277 "2019-11-06T10:38:11Z")
> [@Someone](#): > > So, you mean … MARS. ![immagine](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/thimbleweedpark/original/2X/4/4fb895044a16c747b2d3ee1092ee866b42c2b865.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Someone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Someone](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Someone)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 10:56am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1278 "2019-11-06T10:56:25Z")
Great. Now I got hungry. And no Mars around… ---
**Author:** ![Sushi](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/sushi/32/163_2.png) [@Sushi](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Sushi)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 11:27am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1279 "2019-11-06T11:27:49Z")
Look up to the sky! ---
**Author:** ![Someone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Someone](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Someone)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 11:28am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1280 "2019-11-06T11:28:29Z")
Clouds. ---
**Author:** ![Festarossa](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/festarossa/32/15_2.png) [@Festarossa](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Festarossa)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 11:30am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1281 "2019-11-06T11:30:30Z")
I have a Snicker here at work. He is sitting by his desk few meters from mine. ---
**Author:** ![Frenzie](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/frenzie/32/4416_2.png) [@Frenzie](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Frenzie)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 1:44pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1282 "2019-11-06T13:44:16Z")
Hard worker, is he? ![svg](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/thimbleweedpark/original/2X/e/ef86e684a3215e63aa42314edc32e9a64b677f0e.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Sushi](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/sushi/32/163_2.png) [@Sushi](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Sushi)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 5:19pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704/1283 "2019-11-06T17:19:20Z")
(To bring it back on-topic): That Snicker guy sure looks like a kind of hamer-headed alien in disguise! [Previous page](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704.md?page=63) [Next page](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-playthrough-and-hints/2704.md?page=65)