outlet

In the annals of adventure gaming, the Monkey Island series stands alone. The original game was one of the first games I ever bought back in my 286 days. This third installment is miles ahead of its predecessors in terms of technology, gameplay, and--thankfully--fun. The storyline, character integrity, acerbic displays of wit, and history of the Monkey Island universe were not sacrificed in the name of animation, voice acting, and graphics. The music that has always been such an important element of the games has also been improved, and we are now even treated to a couple of pirate songs in the course of the game. While anyone can enjoy this game immensely, old Monkey Island fans like myself are treated to a number of in-jokes and can delight in the return of a whole host of characters we already know so well--Wally the cartographer, the unforgettable Stan, the voodoo lady, Lemon Head and his fellow vegetarian cannibals, Elaine Marley, and--of course, the evil pirate LeChuck. And monkeys, of course. I was very impressed by the voice acting; virtually all of the characters sound just like I imagined they would, and there is a subtlety in the delivery of lines that makes the corniest of jokes work effectively. The new characters Guybrush meets in the game are also rich, amusing additions to the adventure: three ex-pirate barbers, very strange Shakespearean actors, a hilarious young entrepreneur who goes from selling lemonade to running guns, the last remaining member of the Goodsoup hotel/resort dynasty, a wild cast of pirates, unusual carnival workers, and a number of other delightfully amusing folks. The whole world contained in the game is rich, detailed, and very well done. A lot of attention, detail, and dare I say love went into the creation of every background from start to finish. A lot of time passed between the last game and this one, and I appreciate the creators' desire to release this game only after it was entirely completed.

Here's the story in a nutshell: our hero, Guybrush Threepwood, set out to be a pirate, despite his physical build and unfortunate name; along the way, he fell for the lovely Governor Elaine Marley, who by this time has finally come to love Guybrush (for some unexplainable reasons). The ghost pirate LeChuck also loves Elaine and is continually trying to make her his undead bride. Naturally, this has led to some problems for Guybrush--although he has "killed" LeChuck a couple of times, his enemy continues to molest him and seek Elaine's hand in marriage. There is some lack of continuity between the second game and this one, but it is inconsequential. As this game begins, Guybrush finds LeChuck besieging the fortress of Elaine and manages, in his usually inept yet successful way, in thwarting LeChuck's plans. Elaine finally consents to marry him, but unfortunately the ring Guybrush puts on her finger is a cursed ring from LeChuck's stash that turns Elaine into a solid gold statue. The game revolves around Guybrush's mission to break the ring's curse, thwart LeChuck's evil plans, and somehow manage to stay alive. Along the way, much hilarity ensues.

Anyone wanting to discover how good adventure gaming can be should play this game. It is first-rate in story, graphics, characters, etc. The designers delight in making fun of themselves and the genre, going all out to produce a witty, funny, thoroughly enjoyable experience. You could choose the most direct lines of inquiry and questions and not bother to look at and play with every single object in the game, and you could still enjoy a wonderful game. The real fun, though, comes in experiencing everything in the environment. There is virtually nothing that you can't do that the designers didn't already think of and add a bit of wit and humor to; the game is a virtual time capsule of corny jokes. There are even two ways to play the game; if you are better at puzzles than I am, you can choose to play mega-puzzle level and add even more richness to the experience. At either level, this game offers intellectual challenges, laugh-out-loud humor, and a rich game experience that is second to none.

You can't beat Monkey Island, and The Curse of Monkey Island is the best game in the series (so far). Guybrush Threepwood, the loveable pirate-wannabe who fears porcelain, is the protagonist of this bizarre story about adventure, romance and monkeys.

The game plays like your standard LucasArts adventure--you control Guybrush by clicking with the mouse where you want him to walk. You interact with people and objects via an intuitive menu that allows you to choose between touching, picking up, talking, looking at, smelling and a few other actions. The game is easy to play, and it is very, very fun.

Maybe I am a little biased. I've always been a huge fan of adventure games, the reason being that they are fun. Most computer games nowadays, be they of the action, strategy or role-playing genres, are not really fun; they're just addictive. The software companies aren't concerned with making you happy, they just want to hook you on their products so they can sell you the sequels. LucasArts, at least the guys who make the Monkey Island games, are different. They make good games.

What makes Curse of Monkey Island so good? Well, basically, it's funny. That's what keeps you playing--you want to see what crazy thing will happen next. It's like an interactive comedy. The story is hilarious, as are the characters' voices. One especially funny character is Murray, the talking skull whom Guybrush meets very early in the game. Throughout the game, I found myself constantly looking forward to the next encounter with Murray.

The story is the big selling point, but basically everything about Monkey Island 3 (this game) is great. The graphics, although not much by today's everything-must-be-3D standards, are pleasant to look at and appropriately comical in and of themselves. The audio is terrific, especially the voice acting. Even the opening sequence is very well done. Overall, this game is worth your money, guaranteed.

easily one of the best point and click adventure games. end of story....