Secret of Monkey Island has to be the pinnacle of adventure games
during the Golden Era of video games. As games built on the Scumm
Engine this probably what fueled the critical success of the LucasArts
games division during the early 90's. Ron Gilbert has created one of
the most immersive humorous and enjoyable pirate(if not stories period)
stories of all time. Guybrush Threepwood is a lovable Pirate Wannabe
that instantly grabs your attention and sympathy as you pilot him
through beautiful illustrated sets to solve fun and clever puzzles.
Another key aspect of Monkey Island series that has stayed with me
forever is the music, the midi music was top notch and really set the
theme for cut scenes and game play. If you can find this in a
collection edition, pick this up!
Monkey Island 2 improved upon this game type even beyond its predecessor with the upgrade of even deeper and richer environments, which were beautifully drawn, and the introduction of everyones most secondarily feared pirate, Largo! For players of the first the story, your character has really grown since the escapes of SoMI and is even more funnier, interesting and piratey than before.
I feel bad for gamers who did not grow up in this era of graphical limitations, as the adventure era has died away to make way for more graphically intense games, some people forget(not all mind you), that it will always be the story that holds the game up to its full potential, and Monkey Island is just such a game.
