Developer: LucasArts Publisher: LucasArts Minimum System Requirements: P90 MHz Pentium 16 meg Ram 4X CD ROM Windows 95 PCI Graphics Card Direct X 5 compatible Sound Card 1.2 MB HD and 20MB for saved games Lucas Arts provides a treasure trove of fun The Curse of Monkey Island is the third installment in one of the greatest adventure series ever to grace a PC. Once again, our hapless hero, Guybrush Threepwood, must rescue his true love Elaine from the treacherous clutches of that no good scally-wag and zombie pirate, LeChuck. Little Wally makes a reprise appearance as do other characters from earlier episodes. However, there are many new characters and a whole new look to go with this latest offering. The result is a hold full of humorous booty guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of the most jaded gamer. Graphics The Curse of Monkey Island looks like a full feature Disney cartoon. The colors are vibrant and suited perfectly to the warmth and magic of the exotic Carribean. The frame rate on my system was as smooth as I've seen in an adventure game. There are literally no pauses as the game ran through the animation sequences. The various artists did an outstanding job on all the characters and backgrounds. It quite simply has no weaknesses in the graphics department. Sound The sound is first rate. From the excellent theme music to the roar of exploding cannon to the superlative characterizations, The Curse of Monkey Island is unequalled. The characterizations are excellent. The voice acting is solid throughout. There isn't a single actor who failed to capture the essence of the character they were asked to portray. From Murray the talking skull to Kenny Foulmouth the obnoxious lemonaid salesboy, the acting is the BEST I've ever seen for a PC adventure game. Game interface and installation Effortless....just pop in the CD and follow the on-screen instructions. The Curse of Monkey Island comes on two CD ROMS. This is one of the few times where I wish there was even more data to pop into my CD ROM. Gameplay The gameplay is faultless. The Curse of Monkey Island can be played at 2 difficulty settings: Regular, and Mega Monkey. I ran through it in Mega Monkey mode and had a blast. There were only 4 spots where I found myself scratching my head in frustration. The rest of the puzzles though not difficult were interesting and fun. The puzzles were also logically constructed and a leap ahead of most other action games I've encountered. The Curse of Monkey Island is genuinely funny. Again, much credit is due to the casting director and voice actors. However, the writers must have had a field day in coming up with a million pirate cliche's and popular culture references. One of my favorite moments is when the barbershop pirates sing "The Pirate's Life for Me". Not only is the tune catchy, but the accompanying lyrics, and knee bending animations are hilarious. I also enjoyed hassling the annoying cabana boy (he looks like he's in his 30s). Although purely tongue-in-cheek, there are a couple of interactive sequences. One, where you have to aim your cannon to blow up a bunch of row boating skeleton pirates and another where you have to combat other pirate ships. Both sequences add variety to the overall experience and add to the gameplay. The interface is one common to most adventure type games. Guybrush has an inventory and by clicking on items with each other and those found in the various game locations you succeed in solving problems and puzzles you encounter on your quest. When we concluded this game my 6 year-old complained that it was over too quickly. I have to agree. The Curse of Monkey Island is as near perfect an adventure game you are likey to find anywhere. So come on Lucas Arts....sequel sequel sequel!!!! Strengths: graphics, sound, music, writing, voice actors, gameplay Weaknesses: none Rating: Joystick is so high up it's looking down on the crow's nest The Curse of Monkey Island was reviewed on an AMD K6-166 MMX 8X CD Rom 32 meg Ram Number Nine Revolution 3D 8mg WRAM Screen shots courtesy of Lucas Arts Reviewed by Dave "Prophet" Williams Prophet@coastnet.com