Lucasarts' 'Monkey Island' series of graphic adventure games are, without doubt, the best games ever created for the personal computer.

In the days when computers were small and, by today's standards, rubbish, there were a number of games that became instant classics; they were games that pushed the boundaries of programming and stunned a generation. The Secret Of Monkey Island was one such game and its success spawned three equally brilliant sequels (and counting).  

The Story So Far

The plotline for 'The Secret of Monkey Island' was simplicity itself. A young boy, Guybrush Threepwood, arrives on Melee island wanting to become a pirate but to do so he needs to complete three challenges: to find treasure, to defeat the sword master and steal some treasure from the Governors mansion. He then meets and falls in love with the beautiful Governor Elaine Marley who, as fate would have it, is then kidnapped by hideous ghost-pirate LeChuck and taken to Monkey Island. Guybrush then gets a crew together, goes to island and after being captured by, escaping from and getting help from some local Cannibals, he finds the evil ghost-pirate’s hellish hideout underneath giant monkey head only to find that evil ghost-pirate has taken Elaine back to Melee Island to marry. Guybrush  then makes and uses voodoo-antiroot potion, destroys evil ghost, saves the day and get the girl.

Like we said 'simplicity itself.'

The Secret of Monkey Island 2 continues the story of Guybrush who is searching for the legendary treasure of Big Whoop. After finding four map pieces scattered across many islands (Scabb, Phatt and Booty) and accidentally helping to resurrect long dead evil pirate LeChuck, he is captured and ends up being trapped LeChuck’s ‘Carnival of the Damned’ for the rest of eternity.

If anyone was to put the first 'Monkey' games on their computers today, they would laugh at the poor graphics and beepy sound. If they were in their right minds they would uninstall them immediately and go and play something decent. If they did that, however, they would be missing out!

Graphic adventure games have never relied on their graphics and sound, but their trump cards are their characters, plotlines, puzzles and challenges. The first 'Monkey island' games have never been bettered. The scripts are as funny today as they were almost a decade ago and still provide some of the sternest tests a gamer could ever face.

 Kings of the adventure games - Lucasarts, after their early success, went off into different directions and produced classics such as 'Day of the Tentacle', 'Full Throttle' and 'Sam and Max Hit the Road'. In 1998, however, they decided it was time to go back to their roots and made 'The Curse of Monkey Island' and all across the world, adventure gamers cheered.  

With all-new high-res graphics and some of the best music to grace a computer game ever 'The Curse of Monkey Island' leaped onto our monitors. It continues the story of Guybrush Threepwood from exactly where the last one left off. Having escaped from ‘Carnival of the Damned’ ....Well that would be telling wouldn’t it.

DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR AND GO AND EXPERIENCE ALL THE GAMES FOR YOURSELF - YOU WON'T REGRET IT.

Here is the box art for the brand new fourth installment, OUT NOW in all good computer game shops. 

(Click to get a larger view)

More information about ESCAPE FROM MONKEY ISLAND will appear shortly.

Here are some of the weird and wonderful characters which make up the world of Monkey Island           

Le Chuck :

Stan :

JoJo :

Guybrush's Parents :

Murray (The Demonic Skull) :

Some midi files:

End credits

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All pictures and music are property of Lucasarts Ltd.

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