The eponymous villain of the game I.M. Meen has a serious pet peeve-- he can't stand it when children study. Thus, he creates a magical book that, when read, traps children in Meen's evil labyrinth. As the player, you assume the role of one of 2 new children trapped in the maze. Your mission is to free the other children imprisoned in this dungeon and find a way out for yourself. As you walk around the first-person perspective maze, you will encounter a number of fearsome monsters to make your quest difficult. However, you have the ability to punch the enemies. There are also other magical offensive weapons that you find throughout the game. Plus, I.M. Meen's sidekick gnome, Gnick, has betrayed his master and is offering you assistance where possible.

The educational aspect of this game involves completing miniature assignments in order to free imprisoned children. For example, a letter from Gnick to Meen is displayed along with the instructions to correct the 2 punctuation errors contained in the text. Once the player successfully completes the task, a fellow captured child is freed.