The Secret of Monkey Island was part of a series of point'n'click adventure games released by LucasArts - at the time called LucasFilm Games. These used an engine known as SCUMM - Script Utility for Maniac Mansion, named after the first game of it's kind. SCUMM is even referenced in the game - the SCUMM Bar.
It was also by far one of the best of it's kind, becoming a much-loved favourite on many of the systems it was released on. So well-loved it has become, it has even seen a fairly recent 'special edition' re-release, with the graphics updated, and the characters given voice actors.
It is in essence, a tongue-in-cheek pirate adventure, inspired by the Disney ride Pirates of the Caribbean - indeed there are a good many similarities to the films based on those rides. You must literally point the way for handsome but rather dim would-be pirate Guybrush Threepwood, because without your help, he'd be lost - at one point when you point'n'click the command 'Use Oars with Rowboat', our swift hero suddenly has a bright idea involving the oars and rowboat and proceeds to tell us the obvious...
The game is split into four parts, essentially four acts of the story. The first part, The Three Trials, introduces our hero, and sees him undergo three tasks in order to become a pirate. As you help Guybrush become a scalawag, we learn more about the surrounding Melee Island, of a ghost pirate called LeChuck, and we learn of legends involving the mythical Monkey Island. One trial involves Guybrush robbing the Governor of an idol - and it's here he meets the beautiful Governor Elaine Marley, falling head over heels in love with her - they both declare their love in a hilariously over-the-top moment complete with deliberately sickeningly cutesy romantic exchanges. When the tasks are completed however, LeChuck kidnaps Elaine - he had died trying to look for Monkey Island in an attempt to woo her.
Part 2, The Journey, sees Guybrush, having acquired a ship that had the benefit of having been to Monkey Island and back, trying to concoct a voodoo spell that will take his ship to the fabled island - his crew meanwhile prefer to sit on deck sunbathing.
Part 3, Under Monkey Island, sees Guybrush finally arrive on the sacred island. When he wins the trust of cannibals - who are trying to wean themselves off red meat - he learns of LeChuck's hellish lair hidden beneath Monkey Island. He is forced to leave the rescue of Elaine later, as he must first get his hands on a magic root the ghosts have stolen from the cannibals - the cannibals can create a ghost-killing potion from the root. Naturally, when he returns to the lair with the potion, LeChuck has gone, sailing back to Melee Island in order to marry Elaine.
Then it's time for - Last Part, Guybrush Kicks Butt. Guybrush returns to Melee, fighting his way past some ghosts to stop the wedding, leading to a terrific showdown with LeChuck, in which the ghostly villain gives Guybrush a pasting, knocking him all over the island before our hero finally gets the upper hand thanks to one of many hilarious anachronisms that upon first seeing it did not seem to have any purpose...
My personal all-time favourite game.
It was also by far one of the best of it's kind, becoming a much-loved favourite on many of the systems it was released on. So well-loved it has become, it has even seen a fairly recent 'special edition' re-release, with the graphics updated, and the characters given voice actors.
It is in essence, a tongue-in-cheek pirate adventure, inspired by the Disney ride Pirates of the Caribbean - indeed there are a good many similarities to the films based on those rides. You must literally point the way for handsome but rather dim would-be pirate Guybrush Threepwood, because without your help, he'd be lost - at one point when you point'n'click the command 'Use Oars with Rowboat', our swift hero suddenly has a bright idea involving the oars and rowboat and proceeds to tell us the obvious...
The game is split into four parts, essentially four acts of the story. The first part, The Three Trials, introduces our hero, and sees him undergo three tasks in order to become a pirate. As you help Guybrush become a scalawag, we learn more about the surrounding Melee Island, of a ghost pirate called LeChuck, and we learn of legends involving the mythical Monkey Island. One trial involves Guybrush robbing the Governor of an idol - and it's here he meets the beautiful Governor Elaine Marley, falling head over heels in love with her - they both declare their love in a hilariously over-the-top moment complete with deliberately sickeningly cutesy romantic exchanges. When the tasks are completed however, LeChuck kidnaps Elaine - he had died trying to look for Monkey Island in an attempt to woo her.
Part 2, The Journey, sees Guybrush, having acquired a ship that had the benefit of having been to Monkey Island and back, trying to concoct a voodoo spell that will take his ship to the fabled island - his crew meanwhile prefer to sit on deck sunbathing.
Part 3, Under Monkey Island, sees Guybrush finally arrive on the sacred island. When he wins the trust of cannibals - who are trying to wean themselves off red meat - he learns of LeChuck's hellish lair hidden beneath Monkey Island. He is forced to leave the rescue of Elaine later, as he must first get his hands on a magic root the ghosts have stolen from the cannibals - the cannibals can create a ghost-killing potion from the root. Naturally, when he returns to the lair with the potion, LeChuck has gone, sailing back to Melee Island in order to marry Elaine.
Then it's time for - Last Part, Guybrush Kicks Butt. Guybrush returns to Melee, fighting his way past some ghosts to stop the wedding, leading to a terrific showdown with LeChuck, in which the ghostly villain gives Guybrush a pasting, knocking him all over the island before our hero finally gets the upper hand thanks to one of many hilarious anachronisms that upon first seeing it did not seem to have any purpose...
My personal all-time favourite game.