Private detective Tex Murphy is hired to investigate the murder of a university professor. It turns out that he was one of eight scientists involved in Project Overlord, a mission to remotely control people. Tex Murphy soon learns of the deaths of other related figures. Suspects may include the British intelligence head, a surveillance company owner, and the professor's daughter.
Mean Streets features dozens of characters to interact with by asking questions or offering bribes. Fights often arise, but a diplomatic approach is more successful with characters whose guilt is unproven. Although it is largely an adventure game, travel between cities involves piloting Tex Murphy's Lotus Speeder in a flight simulation section. The game also contains side-scrolling action sequences where Tex Murphy has to eliminate a number of enemies before being able to proceed to the destination.
Mean Streets is released for the Commodore 64, a classic home computer from the early 1980s. It was initially published on January 1st, 1984.