Monkey Island 2 Review

Game: Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
System: PC
Genre: Adventure
Developer: LucasArts
Release date: December, 1991


Pros: Improved graphics, catchy music, ingenious puzzles
Cons: Frustrating at times, a little too irreverent for its own good


My journey through the LucasArts archive continues with Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, a worthy sequel to one of the greatest point-and-click adventure games of all time. Most of the creative team behind the first Monkey Island returned for the sequel, and the results are as expected: more head-scratching puzzles, more catchy tunes, and more inside jokes, sight gags, and general zaniness.

Monkey Island 2 tells the story of hapless hero Guybrush Threepwood's quest to discover the hidden treasure Big Whoop and reconnect with his estranged love, Governor Elaine Marley. Although his adventures in the first game ended triumphantly, Guybrush in Monkey Island 2 is a pitiable person. His fifteen minutes of fame are over, his soul mate has left him, and he's stuck on a lonely piece of rock called Scabb Island.

A collection of verbs and inventory slots sit on the bottom part of the screen.

Like most of the early LucasArts adventure games, Monkey Island 2 uses the SCUMM engine, which allows players to interact with items in the game using several different verbs, e.g., pick up, open, talk to. Solving all the puzzles in the game requires players to use the items in their inventories in the right ways, with the right verbs, and at the right times. As with the first Monkey Island, trial and error is a big part of the experience. So is frustration, but that's the price one pays for the ingenious puzzles designer Ron Gilbert and friends cooked up for LeChuck's Revenge.

The graphics, animations, and special effects in Monkey Island 2 represent a significant leap over its predecessor. Everything seems more detailed, more vibrant, more alive. As for the music, Monkey Island is more of a lateral move. Still, that's pretty impressive considering the greatness of the music in The Secret of Monkey Island. There is something new, however: the iMUSE audio sequencing engine. This engine allows the music in the game to change interactively depending on the current environment and situation. Moreover, the music transitions smoothly and according to logical progressions.

Crossing a spooky swamp in a coffin en route to a voodoo hut?
Just a normal day in the life of Guybrush Threepwood.

Although it looks better and, in some cases, sounds better than the first game in the series, Monkey Island 2 falls slightly short of the high mark reached by The Secret of Monkey Island. Sometimes Monkey Island 2 can be too clever and too irreverent for its own good. A lot of the character development from the premiere game is undone as a result. Still, the puzzles are brilliant, the jokes are hilarious, and the characters memorable. Any point-and-click adventure fan would be remiss if he or she missed this treasure of a game.