The Secret of Monkey Island

The first Monkey Island game is a landmark in computer game history. It pretty much begins the adventure genre (actually Maniac Mansion came before, but it is very limited and primitive when compared to the subtleties of MI). At its time, games were simple jump-hit-and-walk side-scrollers and flight or sports simulators, no more than an afternoon worth of fun for kids. Then came MI and introduced complex plots, not unlike movie´s (so much, in fact, that you are reading this on IMDb), complete with meaningful dialogues which affect the plot´s direction (instead of mere interludes between action scenes). In MI, as well as in the adventure genre it helped create, interaction with computer-controlled characters went beyond physical confrontation, including dialogue, negotiation (even bargaining prices!), seduction and intrigue. And, perhaps its most remarakable feature, the humour. Satyre, irony or just plain good nonsense, in the tradition of Monthy Python. Indeed, the experience of playing MI (and all subsequent Lucasarts adventure games) is very much like watching a movie, except that you direct the action of the protagonist(s), changing events and outcomes in the plot.

Way before videogames got into the present 3D trend, spawning tiresome clones of the likes of 'Doom', 'Tekken' and 'Tomb Raider', companies like Lucasarts and Sierra made games with subtlety, malice and humour, best suited for intelligent, mature players instead of competitive children with aching fingers. Today these adventures might seem tecnically rough in comparison with all these vectorial 3d shooters that require endlessly more memory and more processing power. But in terms of creativity, of mature entertainment (and I don´t mean porn), modern games seem to be dull, technologically-enhanced versions of the same old Nintendo and Genesis action games of the past.

Belonging to the same line of adventure classics of the Monkey Island series are Sierra´s 'Leisure Suit Larry' series, 'Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis', 'Sam & Max', 'Full Throttle' and 'Grim Fandango' (Lucasarts´ foray into 3d, although keeping the adventure genre´s highlights). But I don´t think any of these, great as they are, have half the importance of the Monkey Island games. Technology is ever-evolving, nonstop, but these adventure games offer a kind of entertainment mere technology cannot.

On a final note about 'The Secret of Monkey Island', look for a CD version of this game, updated with more songs (carribean rhythms like reggae and calypso) and a visual inventory - see 'Alternate Versions' in this entry.

Join Guybrush Threepwood in a wonderful tale of fantasy, adventure, and mystery; the tale of "The Secret of Monkey Island".

The humor in this game is simply awesome. It's a particular sense of humor that makes Guybrush one of the most symphatetic heroes ever. The story is always interesting and you can't say that it isn't entertaining. I really enjoy this game. I play it every year as a tradition and I don't regret spending my time on it.

The ending always makes me feel nostalgic also. This is one of the games that will always stay with you. It makes you feel things that only a few games can.

Now, this is probably one of the best games ever produced. It should rank in the top 10 of all time along with "Mario 64" , "Zelda", "Sonic", "Mortal Kombat", etc.

A game rarely comes along that spawns many a fan and "successful" sequels. Monkey Island is at the top rank (When it comes to Computer games, that is). What you might think of as a rough, violent pirate game, totally turns away from it from the moment you enter the bar. (You'll see if you play). Laugh a minute and unpredictable, Monkey Island gets 11/10.

This game is an absolute classic. Guybrush Threepwood must go down in history as the most likeable computer sprite of all time and LeChuck is his perfect nemesis. The Secret of Monkey Island and LeChuck's revenge or similar in formula but both extremely unique and imaginative. The more modern follow-on was great too but not in the same league as the early '90s originals. This game is cheap to buy and will run on any PC (it worked even on an Amiga for goodness sake!) so there is no excuse why any PC owner shouldn't own the game. The solutions to puzzles aren't simple, but especially in the original game they are logical and realistic in the context of the game. That is what makes the game stand out for me as better than modern equivalents. A true classic, buy it!

This is one of the reasons I miss the pc games made on the beginning of the decade. There was an atmosphere that only those never too clear graphics and that pc speaker music could offer. And this game shows that atmosphere perfectly. It was passionating to play it, and even addictive, it provided hours of good fun and many thinking, even despair. At the end, it's completely satisfying, in the tradition of lucasarts' magnificent graphical adventures (like the spectacular Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis).