 |
Escape from Monkey IslandReviewed by Hilary WilliamsonPublished by Lucas Arts
Requires: P200 MHz+, Windows 95/98/ME/2000, DirectX compatible, 32 Mb RAM, (64 for Win 2000), 195 Mb HD, 4xCD-ROM, 4MB PCI or AGP Direct 3D or OpenGL grahpics accelerator, 16bit sound Description:
Escape from Monkey Island In previous Monkey Island titles, the inept pirate-wannabe Guybrush Threepwood got the girl, Governor Elaine Marley and she and her adorable numskull set off on their honeymoon. Escape from Monkey Island returns them to Melee Island. They are shocked by the missing throng of well-wishers and the news that Elaine has been declared dead, their home (the Governor's mansion) is in the process of demolition and a slick Aussie realtor is taking over the island. Play this game in 3D in the role of the absurd but cute Guybrush. Carry out Elaine's instruction to make the contractor cease and desist flinging boulders at her mansion. Then find a way to travel to Lucre Island in order to consult with the sleazy family lawyers. Your 'plunder bunny' Elaine is off to City Hall in an attempt to be declared undead. As Guybrush you have to find a way to stop the demolition, recruit pirates for the voyage and get access to the pretty in pink pirate ship. Solve the puzzles on Melee and head to Lucre Island, where poor Guybrush is falsely accused of bank robbery and you need to put together all the evidence to prove his innocence. Win the dunce cap on Jambalaya Island by coming up with the most piratey answer, and find all three pieces to the Ultimate Insult. Enjoy the groggocino at Starbuccaneer's and ride the lava while brushing up on insults in preparation for Monkey Kombat (those monkeys are hard to beat!). Move Guybrush around the island with arrow keys (use Shift to run), look at things (L key) and pick up and use items (P and U keys). Use I to toggle in and out of your inventory of stuff. There is also a joystick interface but the arrow keys are simple to use. Talk to everyone and pick up any items that you find. Try combining items in the inventory, some work better that way. Conversations are a big part of the entertainment value of the game, with a wide variety of personalities and accents from all over the world - try out all the different responses to each character and enjoy the combinations. Features:
Technical Aspects:I tried the program on a Pentium III with Windows ME. Installation was automatic after pressing the Install button in a pop-up window. It took a few minutes and required switching CD's twice (the title comes with 2 CD's). It checks that DirectX is installed and offers to install DirectX 7.0a if not. There is a patch to fix minor problems with the English version of the program. I installed it.In some parts of the program, arrow keys could be used to select from a list of things, in other areas only Page Up and Page Down worked. Initially I was unable to save a game in progress which was frustrating. When I restarted and saved at the first opportunity (after the pirate ship fight at the beginning) I was able to make subsequent saves - a CD icon shows up in the lower right corner of the screen at save points. Conversations are audio only (aside from the choice of responses) so this title would not be suitable for someone with auditory difficulty. Report and Conclusions:Escape from Monkey Island is another great first person adventure in this hilarious series that combines problem solving challenges with conversational humor, puns and wit (even if some of them are groaners). My children (10 and 12) were able to work out many of the puzzles on their own (I have to admit that I resorted to the Official Hint Book on more than one occasion). The title has a Teen rating, with mention of 'Comic Mischief', 'Suggestive Themes' and 'Use of Tobacco and Alcohol'. I assume that the latter refers to pipe smoking pirates and the presence of grog and did not find anything that I would object to as a parent in the game.Kids love the dialogue, especially those involving insults. My 10 year old replayed the same conversations again and again and was just as interested in exploring what happened when he sent Guybrush walking off the edge of a cliff as in solving the game. Much of the humor also works at an adult level, for example the lawyers' 'writ of habeus moneus', the Scupper Ware or Guybrush's comment 'I think I tossed a bon mot in a food fight once.' This is one of the few titles that our whole family was able to enjoy, if at different levels, and one that I would strongly recommend. Its conversational gambits are a large part of the fun and the adventure itself provides hours of problem solving challenges. Don't forget to pick up the duck, watch out for LeChuck and you'll have just as much fun as we did tracking down the secret of the Ultimate Insult. You can download a PC demo. |  |
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
