Based on the famous book, this graphical adventure plays much like a multiple-choice story book. You start out as Robinson, waking up on a deserted beach. Your main objective now is to survive in your new and unfamiliar environment. The vividly illustrated screens present you with multiple choices concerning your next action, interspersed with small flashes of animation. Your first objective is to rescue supplies from your sinking ship and to build a shelter, then to adapt to day-to-day life on the island, which might not be entirely uninhabited...

Getting around the game is dependent on carrying out the correct actions in the correct order, or Mother Nature and other forces will meddle, eventually leading to Robinson's unceremonious death. Since the game is close to the original story, a copy of Daniel Defoe's book will serve as a useful cheating guide.