"The brilliant original of a remarkable series..."

Monkey Island has been one of the most loved games in the history of adventure games. By combining challenging puzzles and adventure with humor, Monkey Island found a place in the heart of dozens of gamers. The original, like all of the sequels, is just as good.

GAMEPLAY: 9/10

The Secret of Monkey Island is incredibly easy to master. You guide the main character, Guybrush, across the screens by pointing to a specific place where you want him to walk. If you want to perform actions (such as opening, pushing, talking, or giving) they can be used if you click on the action and the object you want to use the option on. This, in fact, is not such a bad idea and is not hard to master. All it really requires if you're going into depth is the mouse, so if you're not a fast gamer SOMI shouldn't be a problem. The problem solving in the game is both entertaining and challenging but some problems are a bit too hard for inexperienced gamers; I got stuck in the game several times and had to resort to a walkthrough several times even though I greatly didn't want to. Talking will also help you gain items in Monkey Island, so most of the time you can choose what to say when you are talking with a character. It adds a lot to the gameplay, as you can either say something to the character that will give you the item, something that insults him, or something that does nothing. Going into conversations again and trying different variations is much fun.

STORY - 10/10

The story is where Monkey Island truly shines. All aspects are here: comedy, drama, romance. You name it, it's here. The story unfolds mostly through dialogue so the challenge is to talk to as many people as possible to find out more, which adds a lot to the total time. By the end of the game, you'll have Guybrush's tale remembered clearly as it is such an unbelievable story.

GRAPHICS - 6/10

The graphics, in today's standards, are not that good but were probably the best there could possibly be in 1990, when the game was released. They're not that bad really but get some getting used to due to some graininess and some bad textures.

SOUND - 8/10

The sound is pretty great in SOMI. Many sounds are executed and recorded well and sometimes are a pleasure to listen to. However, I sometimes experienced slight sound problems, which brings down this score.

PLAY TIME/REPLAYABILITY - 4/10

Despite its challenging puzzles and riddles, SOMI surprisingly does not take very long to beat and can easily be completed in less than ten hours, even less if using a walkthrough. Replayability is also a bit bad. The first time you play through, its an immense pleasure but it just doesn't click the second time because you already know the ending and all you have to do.

Monkey Island is definitely worth a play but probably not a buy. Its sequels, due to better graphics and new features, stand far superior and should be the ones you buy. However, to have the honor of playing the original that started it all, find a way to get a copy of SOMI

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/02/04