Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders/Dead ends

There are a few mistakes the player can do, which will render him unable to possess a crucial item and/or completing the game. Such mistakes are:


 * Death of a character: Annie tells Zak that if any of them dies they will be unable to succeed. Not only each one can do stuff the other can't, but also cooperation is crucial, especially in the end. The only characters "allowed" to die are Melissa and Leslie, only after Zak has acquired the White Crystal.
 * Losing the bread crumbs: You get bread crumbs when you shred the bread in your sink, but if you turn on the faucet right after, they will be washed away, and when you take the pipe they won't show up. Without them you won't be able to lure the bird and consequently get the scroll.
 * Burning away the nests in the Seattle cave:If both nests burn away before you have the time to draw the ankh and open the alien door to the Blue Crystal, the cave will fall again in darkness and Zak won't be able to draw the symbol. Even by using the lighter. The game can't progress without the Blue Crystal.
 * Running out of money:Money is necessary to buy some crucial items and more importantly, move between locations. In that case, Zak (or Annie) will be stuck in an airport unable to move on.
 * Running out of tokens:Melissa and/or Leslie can buy each one a token and travel to the Martian pyramid. The token dispenser of that side is out of order and they can't get back to the Face. The game will be brought to a dead end if they haven't finished all necessary tasks there.
 * Take off Mars too soon: There is an option to close the space-van and take it off. It will fly away towards Earth and there will be no way to turn around back to Mars (the van won't ever arrive to Earth during the game's time). The player can optionally attempt to take off only after the girls' mission has ended.

Ways to die are the following:
 * Fall from the Caponian spaceship in the ocean without opening the parachute.
 * Bob too long in the sea (for about 3 minutes after falling)
 * Asphyxiate yourself. There are several ways: take off your helmet on Mars, stay on Mars too long without refilling your helmet, wear the taped fishbowl without attaching the tank etc.
 * Harass the Sphinx Guardian three times by entering his lair
 * Enter a wrong combination in the Sphinx map room. A pit will open and the character(s) there will be lost.