Monkey Island 3 Review

The legendary Lucas Arts tongue-in-cheek adventure series continues onwards in this excellent outing, the third in the series starring "Guybrush Threepwood, mighty pirate!"

Whilst it is incomparable to the previous two, now extremely dated games, it game be cross-checked with some of the more recent ones such as Grim Fandango, and even Monkey Island 4. Of course, it would be foolish for me to make comparisons this early. I haven't even told you about the story yet…

Guybrush and his fiancée Elaine have just landed on a seemingly scarcely populated island, and after the usual humourous opening couple of cut scenes where you're taken hostage, you have to make your way outside the ship, escaping cunningly by using your sharp wit and intelligent persuasive skills. When you're outside the ship you were captured in, you find yourself in possession of a huge diamond ring, and who better to give it to than your fiancée right? Wrong, it has a curse on which immediately turns her into gold, which is where the adventure begins.

Whilst the plot isn't particularly gripping, it is innovative and original enough to make a nice change, and sets you up to prepare for, and work your way through inevitably funny scenarios.

This is where the game really shines, with a huge amount of intelligence required for certain tasks, which are not only clever in terms of construction, but massively rewarding upon completion. The feeling of satisfaction you get upon spiking your own drink and being presumed dead is indescribable, a glow seemingly emits itself all the way around your proud body as you smile widely with happiness. Well…maybe that was a slightly exaggeration, but you really do get a rewarding sense of completion from it.

Throughout the course of the game are both elementary and extremely advanced challenges, appealing to all manners of gamers, but at times it does get a little hard. There are occasional instances where you're forced to sneak a quick glance at a guide in order to find out what to do. This doesn't really spoil the fun of the game though, merely it just slows it down a little.

Possibly my favourite part from the whole game was the humour in it, where I found myself laughing out loud incessantly and annoying everyone else unfortunate enough to be in the room at the time. There are loads of great gags crammed tightly into this game, with little additions to keep the casual gamer occupied for aeons, and the pure hardcore point and click gamer still laughing about the good old scene where Guybrush hit the talking skull into the sea right at the start for no apparent reason. In fact, I don't believe I ever tired of the quick-witted and sarcastic remarks of Threepwood and his adventuring colleagues.

The sword fights are carried over from the first two classics where the question is asked: Which is sharper - Your sword or your wit?" The sea dwelling mini games are an awesome sidetrack, although it can become slightly tedious after all of the insults have been said and heard 3 times over.

Lamentably, the graphics don't really compliment the actual game as well as they could do. They are mere 2D drawings which, whilst having been upgrading enormously from it's prequels, just can't hold their own against the far more impressive visuals of more modern games - Grim Fandango springing to mind. In The Curse Of Monkey Island's graphic's favour though, they are unobtrusive and don't try to be too fancy, and therefore don't end up looking horribly rigid and blocky.

This really is a great game, no doubt about that, and to mark it down considerably for it's slightly dated graphics would be a crime. To mark it down for it's general shortness though would be more reasonable, as I completed this in under a week, albeit having played it a lot. It is one of those games that seemingly make a hot cup of tea go cold in what you though was only a minute, turning out to be half hour of pure gaming heaven.

It's worth buying just to watch the 'dancing pirates' scene, or listen to the incessant ramblings of Murray the talking skull. It's also worth buying due to it's sheer gaming genius and the fact that it's not too far from being hailed as an all time classic in the point and click genre. Unfortunately though it's nothing too ground breaking though, despite it being damn close. Another great game from Lucas Arts proving that even without the original Monkey Island team, an essential point and click game could still be created.

Overall Score: 86%

Pros: · Hilarious tale · The insult sword fights · It has Guybrush Threepwood in it!

Cons: · Essentially too short · Occasionally frustratingly hard · Comparatively dated graphics