Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge

"There are two monkey islands!? Death to the cartographer!"

Following on from the madcap antics we all saw and fell in love with in The Secret of Monkey Island comes this second chapter of the Monkey Island saga. Last time we saw our hero Guybrush Threepwood he had overcome that nasty pirate LeChuck and made a tidy sum of cash in the process. The first few minutes of this game sees our protagonist lose every single penny of his hard earned bounty and resuscitate his aforementioned nemesis. After all his hard work from the first game is made completely redundant we can then focus on Guybrush’s next big goal, to find the legendary treasure of Big Whoop! The majority of the game centers on Mr. Threepwood’s attempts to snare this prize and his battles with LeChuck and his undead minions with an afterthought given to his faltering relationship with the foxy Elaine Marley. It all sounds pretty straight forward, but rest assured that all of the tricky and inane puzzles that reared their head are back for this version, perhaps even a little more obscure than before. Can you make it to the end with the left and right sides of your brain still stuck together? Well…yes, but it’s not going to be easy!

GAMEPLAY
The gameplay of MI:2 is centered around the same old exploration filled, puzzle solving, wise cracking style that was prominent in its predecessor. Using the mouse as your weapon of choice, you can interact with many of the objects in the game using your handy little collection of verbs at the bottom of the screen. Handy little actions such as push, pull, talk, walk and look are all there and all called upon at numerous times during the game. If you get the right combination of object/noun then you’ll get some kind of whimsical reaction, if not then Guybrush will simply point out your ineptness and the game will continue on. It is the trial and error of these combinations that will often prove to be your savior, especially during the trickier puzzles (where logic is pushed far away into the background). It’s generally a good setup for long hours of play, a little bit fiddly at times but it’s not too hard to grow accustomed to.

The game is separated into a number of different sections, one or two for the intro and outro along with some distinctly bigger acts in the middle of the game. You move through the game by solving all of the mission objectives thrown your way via a collection of unique puzzles. These posers usually will have you combining two objects, or one object and a piece of scenery to come up with your solution.

AN EXAMPLE: You need a pie, but all you have is an iguana. You come across an Iguana/Pie trading booth and make the transaction. You now have a pie.

By doing actions of this ilk (although the puzzles in the actual game tend to be more difficult) one can make their way through the game. Now one little advantage that this game and its series have over various other adventure series’ is the fact that Guybrush can simply not die. You may make him look like a fool, or walk him around pointlessly for a month but no fatal harm will ever come his way. It’s a nice little confidence booster if ever I’ve seen one.

Overall the gameplay of this title is a lot of fun, it’s tricky fun but that’s still better than no fun at all. The script is filled with all kinds of witticisms and many of the characters are loveable, this all adds to the Monkey Island experience. The biggest downside to the game is a confusing and frustrating ending, but the game leading up to that point is good enough to make this crime a forgivable one. Yes sir, the gameplay isn’t too shabby at all.

GRAPHICS
The graphics were fairly good at the time, and still have their own little charms to this very day. The backgrounds have their fair share of detail in them, there are no spectacular visuals here but you can tell everything apart from everything else. Basic animations grace the screen in most locations; it’s always a nice touch to see things moving around, bubbling and boiling and all that rubbish. The colour palette used isn’t too bad, a little drab and gloomy in places…but seeing the world through a pair of sunglasses has always been part of the pirate life. Altogether the backgrounds are good enough, they do the job without ever threatening to blow away your corneas, you won’t get tired of looking at this mob.

The characters are good as well! Their costumes are richly designed and befitting of the times! They blend in well with the backgrounds! Their animations are only a little bit silly! Their efforts at lip-synching aren’t too bad! I didn’t put much effort into this paragraph, but the game developers put the effort into the characters! I’m sorry...I need a rest.

But anyway...the graphics were definitely above average for the time, there aren’t really any complaints at all that can be made about them. Guybrush is a very handsome man, and he’s got quite a fine beard on him.

SOUND
There is some good stuff to be heard in Monkey Island 2. There’s not much in the way of sound effects here, they only pop up from time to time and sound rather scratchy when executed. Perhaps the quality of the ones we’ve got suggest we’re lucky to go without a whole lot more, but as it stands there are simply not enough to make the impact required of them. The background music fares much better; there’s a larger collection of tunes with each one having a theme that really fits in with the stage of the game that you’re at. There’s a lot of upbeat calypso style tunes, complete with steel drums and all! And for the parts of the game that are a little creepier and feature that nasty LeChuck you’ll find some spooky tracks have been included to make the atmosphere more complete.

Overall this is a fine sound package. The music blends well enough with the sound effects that are actually included. These effects may not be anything special, but the music carries the section to a high enough score on its lonesome. Extremely listenable and hard to turn down, this sound package should carry you all the way to the end of the game.

LIFESPAN
Monkey Island 2 is a very long game, even with a walkthrough in front of you the whole time it’s going to take a number of hours. As a bonus, it’s a game that you’re likely to play through a number of time, just to test out all the different one-liners you could have used and to relive the funnier moments of the game. Combine these two elements and you’ve got a lifespan that is surprisingly lengthy, it’s a game that you can just pull out and battle through at any old time! Very few people will find themselves tiring of it in a hurry.

FUN FACTOR
The fun factor is also high! The series has a reputation as one of the funniest going around and this installment does nothing to quell those rumblings. It’s tough to go five minutes through the game without seeing a visual gag or hearing an aural one. These gags ensure a high level of comic consistency and therefore it’s very difficult to deny this game a high score in this category. It even had me, the pillar of seriousness that I am, chuckling and even laughing at some stages!

CHALLENGE
The challenge is somewhere between medium and rather hard. At times some of the puzzles lead towards the more cryptic side and you can get a tad stuck, but at no time does your cause ever appear lost. The end section is a bit harder (particularly when you’re screaming at random objects in a mad fit) and hurts an otherwise even challenge. It’s one for the more lateral thinkers, but can be passed by anyone with a little persistence and a lot of clicking. Blah.

THE FINAL PARAGRAPH
Now recognized by some as a classic title, this Monkey Island game should provide a fair amount of entertainment for anyone who cares to play it. For those that haven’t played the game, play the game, it should be cheap enough by now. It’s a game that you’ll still be having fun with months and years down the track, it’s a brilliant stayer! The Monkey Island series is a great one, let the Monkey Island 2 experience just be the tip of the iceberg. Monkey Island’s 1 and 3 are just as good, maybe even better, so get them all into ya’!
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GOOD POINTS
- It’s a very funny game
- The lifespan is rather long
- Clever puzzles get you thinking

NOT SO GOOD POINTS
- The insult fighting has been removed!
- The harder puzzles will have you banging your head against things
- Uhhh...bad sound effects (I’m struggling a little)
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GRAPHICS - 7/10
SOUND - 7/10
GAMEPLAY - 9/10
LIFESPAN - 10/10
FUN FACTOR - 9/10
CHALLENGE - 8/10
OVERALL - 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/28/01, Updated 09/28/01