It's a combination of puzzle (how to get the experiment done) and discovery (what's going on in this school that's supposed to be empty). I like the kind of humour, even though not all of the in-jokes make sense to outsiders.
It is theoretically possible to die in one specific situation, but overall the game just tries to give one a good time. The game is from 1993, and that shows, but given its age it's a nice little game.