Escape From Monkey Island

LucasArts £29.99 PC CD-ROM Out Now

System requirements
Windows 95/98/98SE
Pentium 266 or better
32MB of RAM
4MB graphics/video card

Mention Monkey Island to me and my index finger starts to twitch. I just want to grab a mouse and start to play. But unfortunately for me and perhaps many others, point and click adventure games are few and far between. You have to use the keyboard to control Guybrush this time! Once you have got to grips with the arrow keys, though, controlling him is OK.
There is a fantastic range of options to make this game adaptable for all communication needs. You can alter the volume for music, sound effects and voice. In text mode you can alter the speed of the text from slow to fast, (but not in text and voice mode) and there are subtitles in the cut scenes. Yeah!
Now back to the gameplay. Guybrush and Elaine are returning from their honeymoon but they don't get the welcome home they wanted. Elaine has been declared dead, the mansion is about to be demolished and
Charles L. Charles is running for Governor. So while Elaine fights Charles (GUESS WHO), Guybrush has been despatched to the family lawyers and so the start of the adventure.
Guybrush looks great in his new 3D suit, the graphics are very clean and crisp, and I would say the best in any adventure game at the moment. The colours are rich and the scenery stunning and detailed. Have a look at the screen shots below from throughout the game and you'll see what I mean.

Click on the pictures for a full size screenshot.

Colour coded subtitles for each character An unobtrusive control system Subtitles in a cut scene One of the varied locations

Each new area has its own map There is a small amount of violence! Monkey combat - it's not so scary Wow!!!

 

Control is easy with the simple interface, you use the arrow keys to direct his movements and other keys to use, examine or access your inventory, for example. Guybrush kindly nods his head to one side if there is something that can be interacted with.
You'll discover many strange and wonderful locations, all with unique characters and you even get to catch up with a few old pals. There's also some comical references to the previous Monkey Island games. The dialogue has a very funny (Ha Ha) and lighthearted feel to it, which is brilliant! You CAN play a game for laughs. You should definately buy this game now.

Overall Game Rating: 9/10

Quality of text: 9/10 Excellent. But you can't alter the text speed if you want to use the text/voice mode.

Graphics: 9/10 Brilliant and good looking.

Interface: 8/10 Control is very simple and easy to use but it took some time to adjust to using the keys when I expected to use a mouse.

Gameplay: 10/10 The puzzles have a good balance to them and give you that satisfied feeling when you work it out. Many people complained about the Monkey Combat found in this game, but if you take a little time to get to know the moves - it's quite easy really and fun too!