The game follows the Addams Family father and husband, Gomez Addams, as he attempts to save the members of his family who have been kidnapped. They have been stowed away in various locations in the mansion and are protected by a boss of some sort. The manservant Lurch and the severed hand Thing are the only characters not to be kidnapped. Thing will provide hints on gameplay whenever Gomez finds one of his red boxes marked with an 'A' for 'Addams'.

Gomez starts outside the front door of the mansion. Inside the house, Gomez can move from level to level in basically any order. The player will soon discover that the mansion is full of secrets, hidden passageways and side levels and bosses (for the purpose of increasing Gomez's health).

Gomez dispatches enemies by simply jumping on their heads (similar to the Super Mario games). He can also find objects to throw at them, such as golf balls.

The game did not have a save system but, instead, bore a password system. Through progression of the game, the player would receive passwords, enabling him or her to start where they left off.