Secret of Monkey Island

Advantages: Entertaining, crazy yet logical game, strong visual aesthetic
Disadvantages: Still very dated

...Having never played many of the "classics" of adventure gaming, I have none of the fond memories many relive while playing through their childhood favourites. I was concerned how well a game from the primitive times of 1990 would come across to me without nostalgia to mask its flaws. However, despite a pitiful colour range of 256 colours and small collection of MIDI tracks, the VGA version of Secret of Monkey Island still oozes charm from every blocky pore. Coming out several months after the original release, it drastically increased the game's colour palette selection from 16 to 256 colours, giving the game a much smoother, textured appearance. While a pithy comment about how it puts today's exquisitely detailed, but tragically dreary video game environments to shame would be an exaggeration; nevertheless, the strong, vibrant visual...

pigeon_of_doom 20.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Monkey Island (PC)

A treasure trove of Monkey Island goodness - worth the booty!

Advantages: Classic mode, new graphics, great voice-acting, good storyline
Disadvantages: Controls take some adjusting to

...Although point-and-click adventure games dominated the software market a couple of decades ago, their popularity has rapidly dwindled with the demand for graphically-stunning shoot-'em-ups and simulation games. LucasArts, the mastermind behind legendary adventure games such as the Monkey Island canon, Grim Fandango and Sam 'n' Max Hit The Road, bid adieu to a long tradition of point-and-clicks with their final release, Escape From Monkey Island (4th in the series) in 2000. They assured disappointed fans there would be no future Monkey Island installments and they've held true to their word - sort of. Enter the advent of iPhone app popularity and a growing demand for mobile games that arguably prompted the team's dedicated project of revival, culminating in the revamp of the first ever 1990 installment, The Secret of Monkey Island...

amsterdamage 05.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Secret Of Monkey Island: Special Edition (iPhone)

Monkey Island, back with 5 swashbuckling Tales. Or is it tails?

Advantages: Voice-acting, stays loyal to previous games, music
Disadvantages: Undeveloped supporting characters, new interface, easy puzzles, episodic

...With the first game, Secret of Monkey Island, having been recently re-vamped and re-released for the PC, wii and iPhone, now is as good a time as any to discover - or re-live - the Monkey Island saga, with this brand new release from Telltale Games. Nine long years ago, LucasArts - the adventure game giants behind Sam 'n' Max, Grim Fandango, and Monkey Islands 1 through 4 - sounded their own death knell within the realm of point-and-clicks and announced that Escape from Monkey Island was to be their last release. This came despite main character Guybrush's joke in 'Escape' that he had an 'unbreakable 5-game contract', and was perhaps part the cause and part the result of a trend for declining interest in adventure games in favour of graphically-intense, fast-paced action simulations. That 'Escape' was not universally praised by...

amsterdamage 07.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Monkey Island: The Launch Of The Screaming Narwhal (PC)

Escape From Monkey Island

Advantages: New 3D Graphics
Disadvantages: Difficult To Control

...It's been nearly four years since the release of CMI so Lucassarts thought it was about time for another Monkey Island game. Fof those of you who have no idea what Monkey Island is it's basicly about a pirate called Guybrush Threepwood. The game started back in 1990 on the amiga. Back then Guybrush was just a normal guy on a pirate island. He wanted to become a pirate so much that he completed 3 tasks. He then set about saving love of his life Elaine Marley from the evil pirate LeChuck. 12 years later and Guybrush is still going strong. Since the first game there was another two and Escape From Monkey Island is the fourth. Yet again Guybrush has a problem. e has just returned from his honeymoon with Elaine to findout that his house is being torn down because it's thought he wife has dead. So Guybrush must set sale to nearby islands...

ReviewDude 16.08.2004 · Read review
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Review of Monkey Island 4: Escape From Monkey Island (PC)

The Curse of Monkey Island

Advantages: you dont need a very fast computer
Disadvantages: none

...The curs of Monkey Island is full of great puzzles and laghter it is sooooo funny.This is how the starts your called Guybrush Threepwood and you turn your girlfriend ellain in to a solid gold statue,when you figure out how to save ellain she gets stolen.and you have to get her back from the monkeys,your enemy in the game is Captain Le Chuck the Zombie Pirate and he wants elain to be his bride.you do all sorts of wacky stuff example:you tip cooking oil on to a sun bathers back and wip of his map tatoo(its funny)i would rate it 9 out of 10 its really a very good game thats about it bye...

speedygit 11.07.2000 · Read review
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Review of The Curse of Monkey Island (PC)

Monkey Island

Advantages: Cheap, easy to play
Disadvantages: A little bit dated

...The Secret of Monkey Island is an old game. This means that you should be able to pick it up for just a few english pounds. It is a light hearted, point and click adventure game that sees you guiding would-be pirate Guybrush Threepwood around a coastal area carrying out tasks, talking to people and various other things. The Secret of Monkey Island was one of the first decent point-n-click adventure games that Lucasarts produced and it revolutionised the graphic adventure game. Even though it looks a little bit dated, it still plays nicely and you would have few complaints about this game if you like your games with a sense of humour. Some of the puzzles are a little bit tricky unless you ahve managed to adapt to the progammers way of thinking. This game is easy to play and is a good way to pass a few hours. It really is worth...

adamdavid 01.05.2001 · Read review
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Review of Monkey Island (PC)

From Melee to Monkey Island

Advantages: Classic point-and-click with good humour and intriguing storyline
Disadvantages: Graphics are dated and there are no voice-overs

...The Secret of Monkey Island was the original game of the Monkey Island series (which now spans four games) and was orignally released in 1990 on the Amiga, and published by Lucasfilm Games/Lucas Arts. The series is well known for its numerous memorable characters and witty humour, but just where did it all begin? In The Secret of Monkey Island, you play the role of amateur pirate-wannabe, Guybrush Threepwood. At the beginning of the game, his travels lead him to the pirate-infested, yet quite quiet, pirate island of Melee which is described as being "somwhere, deep in the Caribbean". He soon discovers that to fulfill his dream of becoming a pirate, he must go to the Scumm Bar to meet the three pirate leaders and complete 'The Three Trials' that they set. So basically, the first part of the game involves you: 1) Finding some buried...

Davius 09.03.2003 · Read review
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Review of Monkey Island (PC)

The Curse of Monkey Island By TKD Ben

Advantages: Comedy, Great Cut Scenes
Disadvantages: Story is Short

...Here's a quick summery of what the game offers. Graphics. I personally love the graphics of this game and the game series has taken a huge leap from monkey island 2: LeChucks revenge. With a resolution of 640 x 480 the graphics are not up todays standard but if you take into consideration the game was made in 1997 the graphics are very good. 7/10 Sounds. Voice, Sound and Music are definitely something that make this game the voice's all suit there roles and with a comical script of none stop laughs make this the best sound from a game I've ever played. The music on this game is absolutely brilliant i can sit and listen to the introduction music all day and still not be tired, then the area music is just as good, throughout none of this game did i put on my own set music. The quality is a shame but then if you take into...

TKD_Ben 26.11.2006 · Read review
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Review of The Curse of Monkey Island (PC)

Monkey Island series, great pirating

Advantages: Lots of puzzles and great fun
Disadvantages: games 1+2 have and no spoken dialogue, but then they are a bit dated now!

...The Monkey Island series consists of four games, in which you take the role of Guybrush Threepwood (Mighty Pirate!), and if you have a good sense of humour and enjoy point and click games, you’ll love all four. The first two are text driven i.e. the graphics are not too hot and there is no verbal dialogue, but they still fun. If you buy the bounty pack containing the first 3 games, 1+2 are on the same disc, but game 3 has 2 cd’s. The story begins with the first game ‘The Secret of Monkey Island’, where Guybrush has just arrived on Mêlée Island and wants to be a pirate. To become a pirate he has to participate in 3 trials, dictated to him by 3 smelly, grog swilling pirates: Stealing an artefact from the Governors mansion; finding treasure in the forest and beating the Swordmaster. These trials can be done in...

tweety 13.09.2001 · Read review
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Review of Monkey Island (PC)

Monkey island 4 The curse of monkey island

Advantages: A really funny and challenging game. good value for money
Disadvantages: The graphics engine needs refining, can be frustrating as more than straight forward logic is sometimes needed

...The monkey island games have been my favourite puzzle games for many years now. It all started on my old Amiga 500+, and the title brings many frustrating memories to mind. I have played and completed all four-monkey island titles and believe that I am in a good position to give my opinions about the curse of Monkey Island. It all starts with the character you play Guybrush Threepwood "a mighty pirate" but in fact know one believes him, he looks rather stringy not like a stereotypical pirate. The other main characters are Le chuck that is guybrushes evil nemesis, each game has ended with this evil pirate being slain by the mighty guybrush. Elain Marley is guybrushes wife in the fourth game and is always stolen by le chuck so he can marry her; this is why guybrush always ends up having to defeat le chuck. Now I hear you say that if...

sir_flash 10.07.2001 · Read review
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Review of Monkey Island 4: Escape From Monkey Island (PC)