Escape from Monkey Island is a modern day rendition of the classic 'point and click' adventure game found popular in the early 1990's. There are no random battles, no magic points, no 'party system,' and certainly no death induced 'game over.' This is an adventure game in its purest form. Players control Guybrush Threepwood, a scrawny unassuming pirate that has somehow managed to create a reputable name for himself in the 'Tri Island's' thanks entirely to his role in the previous three chapters of Monkey Island. The story is simple and comical in nature. Guybrush has just returned from his honeymoon with his newly wed wife Elaine, governor of the Tri-Island area. Expecting a rapturous welcome they are instead greeted with…nobody. In fact the governor has been declared dead leaving Guybrush to fight off an Australian Land Developer, and a certain Charles L. Charles for control of the area. Sounds crazy? Well it is, and only gets more bizarre from there.

Players must guide Guybrush through the game-world by using the left analogue stick. When Guybrush is left standing, items of interest will appear in txt form at the bottom of the screen. Guybrush can then either 'look' at the object, pick it up and store it in inventory, or use the item. It is important to explore all the different options to solve the various puzzles and thus advance the story. Players must also converse with the many well presented, personality driven characters in order to solve various other puzzles. Conversing with the many characters is without doubt one of the biggest joys associated with playing this game. Players take control of what Guybrush will say in conversation, choosing from a variety of pre-written options. Most of these responses are witty and humorous by nature…some outrageously so. The clever dialogue is thankfully delivered in the spirit of which it was intended with accurate, well-delivered speech samples. Players cycle through the dialogue options using the right analogue stick.

The puzzles vary in difficulty, with the harder examples capable of leaving one stumped for some period of time, which sadly can disrupt the natural flow of the story. Some players will not shy away from the extra challenge, but luckily for those of us with a more limited patience, plenty of Internet walkthroughs are available, as is the official LucasArts guide which strangely came packed with the PC version but not the PS2 version. Perhaps that says something about console owners.

The graphics are undoubtedly beautiful. The game contains a seamless blend of detailed 3D characters navigating beautiful hand drawn backgrounds. A cartoon feel is achieved through the use of bright vivid colours and deliberately exaggerated facial features etc. In the area of graphics, pictures do speak a thousand words, so take a look for yourself. Animation is for the most part fluid but the frame rate can drop in places with multiple characters and animations displayed at once. Loading time is most noticeable during a switch between scenes, and while only lasting a few seconds, can loose the momentum of the story, especially when occurring between dialogue. The music is nothing to write home about, but not bad either, just a bit unmemorable. It does however set the mood adequately between scenes.

Those who love a good story that must be unlocked through abstract puzzle solving will adore this title. Console owners who fondly remember the likes of Kings Quest, Police Quest, Space Quest, Sam and Max, Day of the Tentacle should also pick this title up if only to see how the genre has developed while other software houses have jumped to the likes of role playing and action games. Expect a fulfilling, humorous, complete experience.