Flashback Friday: The Secret of Monkey Island

Once upon a time before DRM, there were novel ways to prevent piracy. I fondly remember my purple "Dial a Pirate" wheel where the game prompted you to match a pirates face and then type the date and place they were hung to start the game. So what game was whacky enough for "Dial a Pirate?" None other then the Secret of Monkey Island from Lucasarts.

Enter Guybrush Threepwood. A young man determined to be a pirate. He's polite, well mannered and about as green as they come. Guybrush is instantly likable as the goofy wannabe. The game places you on Melee Island where you meet three pirate leaders who tell you that you have to pass the three trials THREE TRIALS! (Inside game joke.)

So what do these trials consist of? Swashbuckling, thievery and treasure hunting of course! The game is a point and click adventure that features clever puzzles, offbeat humor, and interesting characters. The graphics were once a DOS 8-bit style but for you lucky gamers out there it has been remastered in HD high quality sprites.

Gameplay is handled by a simply point and click interface with not so simple puzzles. It's strengths lie in its unique take on the norm such as insult sword fighting and poisoning piranha poodles with a tranquilizer.

The best part of the game however, is following Guybrush's adventure as he finds love with Elaine and trouble with the ghost pirate LeChuck. It's zany and far fetched with twists and turns that have you smiling the whole way through. There's not much I can say without spoiling this game, but what I will say is if you haven't got it I suggest you pick it up. The game is available on IOS, Android, Ps3, Steam and 360 so there's no excuse not to give this classic a go.

So What's it Like?
It's like a hidden object game + point and click + Monty Python = Monkey Island

I give it 8/10.

I'm off to defeat the Sword Master one more time!

-Sarge