Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge

"Great game, but not as good as Monkey Island 1"

The second chapter in the legendary Monkey Island saga is a bit different than it's brothers. It's still a very good adventure game, and continues the misadventures of Guybrush Threepwood well, but it's just missing something that the original had. I'm not sure what, but I'll see if I can explain it.

GRAPHICS 8/10

*sigh* Maybe it's my 18 inch monitor, but graphics look very blocky. But it still looks good. Backgrounds look very comic booky. If I had to compare it to another game, it would be Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, but Monkey 2 looks better in my opinion. Anyway, graphics took a big step up from Monkey 1, even the CD version.

GAMEPLAY and DESIGN 8/10

If you played Monkey 1, then you know what to expect. You have a list of commands and a inventory bar. One thing that really got me mad was the insane amount a items you have. You have items you grab at the beginning of the game, use it, then don't use it until the end of the game, if you ever do. Monkey 2 is also very non-linear. Puzzles can be solved in almost any order, assuming you have the items to do so. This leads to many a day roaming from island to island. I got fed up with it, actually, and used a walkthough for the last half of the game. Thats because some of the puzzles have little logic to them, yet they make perfect sense when you do it. (Stupid bloodhound...) If you beat this game without help, then my hats off to you. Bravo.

Guybrush also has a greater personality in this game. And he has a beard! Woohoo!

SOUND 8/10

Hmmmm, Midi sound in all it's glory. Listening to this game after playing Curse of Monkey Island is like watching an old black and white TV, or listing to a 8-track. Unlike Monkey 1, music never stops playing. It even changes slightly when you enter a building. This game has some very cool tunes. The Monkey Island Theme, one of the best pieces of music in gaming history, sounds very nice...slow and moody

Again, no voice acting. It's fun to give voises to the characters.

STORY 8/10

Ok, here’s the heart of every adventure game, the story.

After Guybrush killed LeChuck in the last game, he wants to make a bigger name for himself and find the legendary treasure of Big Whoop. (HA! The name alone is one of the funniest things in the game!) He must find 4 map pieces to the island rumored to house Big Whoop. But LeChuck is back, resurrected from the dead, and wants revenge on Guybrush.

And really, thats about it. Though not a bad story, but it does leave alot to be desired. Mainly because there is no plot twist in the game. I'm not going to spoil anything, but every thing to think will happen does. (Except maybe the ending.)

REPLAY VALUE 6/10

The game is a bit slow moving, and the funny parts are far between, so replaying it isn't really necessary. But like all adventures, you will always come back after awhile.

GRIPES

Sometimes the music forgets to stop playing, and runs over each other. To fix it, you must go back to the place where that music started playing. Vey annoying. The game is very funny, but not on the same scale as Monkey 3. (Wait until you see Guybrush's parents! I laughed for minutes!) I wish the name was different, to keep constant with the other games. Maybe ''Return to Monkey Island?'' Wait, you never visit Monkey Island....oh well, I guess the name is fine.

OVERALL 8/10

Best in the series? No. In terms of design, Monkey 1 and 2 are somewhat different. I prefer Monkey 1 over 2. But Monkey 2 is still a wonderful game. If your a adventure fan, you must play this game...if you have the patience that is. It's to bad we didn't get a sequel until 1997..... Defiantly a classic for LucasArts. (And one of the few games to spawn sequel after sequel.)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/08/00, Updated 11/09/02