Maxwell's Maniac is a computer game originally part of the Microsoft Entertainment Pack

Microsoft Entertainment Pack

The original Microsoft Windows Entertainment Pack is a collection of simply-designed 16-bit computer games for Windows. These games were somewhat unusual for the time, in that they would not run under MS-DOS. Many of the games were later released in the Best of Windows Entertainment Pack...

 series. Loosely based on the concept of Maxwell's demon

Maxwell's demon

In the philosophy of thermal and statistical physics, Maxwell's demon is a thought experiment created by the Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell to "show that the Second Law of Thermodynamics has only a statistical certainty." It demonstrates Maxwell's point by hypothetically describing how to...

, the object is to separate red and blue molecules into their respective color-coded chambers, using a sliding door. It is superficially similar to Jezzball

JezzBall

JezzBall is a video game in which red-and-white balls, referred to as atoms, bounce about a rectangular field of play, or room. The player advances to the next level by containing the atoms in progressively smaller spaces, until at least 75% of the area is blocked off...

 in layout.

Maxwell's Maniac was programmed by Dima Pavlovsky, developed by Marjacq Micro, and introduced in 1992 as part of the Microsoft Entertainment Pack

Microsoft Entertainment Pack

The original Microsoft Windows Entertainment Pack is a collection of simply-designed 16-bit computer games for Windows. These games were somewhat unusual for the time, in that they would not run under MS-DOS. Many of the games were later released in the Best of Windows Entertainment Pack...

.

Gameplay

The game progresses by stages; the player begins with four lives. Once the molecules are separated by color, the stage is over and a new stage begins. There is a time limit, divided into two phases: good time and bad time. While the game is in good time, there is no risk of losing a life. However, in bad time, gray balls begin to appear in the chamber; if they pass through the door, the player loses a life. Normal games progress through infinite stages; however, the more difficult Intense Game is limited to eighteen.

There are three modes of gameplay: Move, Swap, and Paint. In Move, the object is simply to move the red molecules into the red side. Swap adds blue molecules. In Paint, molecules become gray when they are on the correct side and return to their original color if they move back to the wrong side. In any game, a prize ball may be added; this is effectively a gray ball and works like any other.
In the later levels, lead bricks become available; these are useful to trap molecules or immobilize them entirely. If immobilized, a molecule will eventually vanish.

Scoring is based on how quickly the level was completed. If the level was completed in good time, bonus points are awarded; however, if it was completed in bad time, only 100 points are awarded. In addition, there is a 50 point bonus for a gray ball passing through the door in good time. For every 20,000 points earned, a new life is earned.