Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders

All this is no accident. David Fox, the lead designer and programmer, intended to make a more serious game. While designing the game, he spent some days with David Spangler, noted new age writer, before Ron Gilbert and Matthew Alan Kane persuaded Fox to increase the comedy angle.

Zak McKracken has an extensive code system put into the game to fight video game piracy. Whenever Zak or Annie have to leave the United States to go to an international destination, a "Visa code" is required (it is not required to re-enter the United States). This visa code consists of putting in four different images into a keypad that is consistent with one in the games instruction booklet. Prior to putting this code in, the game will dictate which four images to put in (ie. Section 5, C16). If the images do not match the ones in the program, and after 5 incorrect entries, Zak McKracken gets put into pirate jail and the game is over - and a lengthy and ("I hope you ROT there!") speech from the police officer about the dangers of piracy. This feature was not found in certain compilation re-releases of the game.

The "Zak McKracken Theme" originally composed by Matthew Alan Kane is a popular song for remixes and reinterpretations. Among the artists who have made cover versions of it are The Dead Guys, Puffy64, DJ Lizard, Razor and the Scumettes and the German band Glückswald.