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Product Description

LucasArts' Monkey Island adventure game series has been missed of late. It has been too long since we've visited the anachronistic Tri-Island area in a Monkey game stuffed with vivid characters, zany plot twists, and liberal use of awful and awfully funny puns. Thank goodness that the clumsy, bumbling, and utterly charming pirate hero Guybrush Threepwood returns in Escape from Monkey Island. Luckily for him so does his bride, Elaine Marley Threepwood; unluckily, it looks like the stubborn ghost pirate LeChuck may be back as well. Or is he? We'd tell you but that would give away too much of the vibrant and hilarious story line.

This is adventure gaming at its very best: sharp graphics, excellent voice acting and writing, and solid puzzles throughout. LucasArts even included a walk-through that'll get any new players into the right mindset to solve the bizarre, convoluted, and convulsively funny pun-ridden puzzles in the game. But players who rely on it are missing out. Sometimes it's much funnier to do things the wrong way, because the sharp-minded developers probably already thought of it and are ready to reward you with a humorous comment or action. Completely hilarious, drop-dead gorgeous, and always innovative LucasArts proves once and for all there is ample life left in the adventure genre. --Andrew S. Bub

Pros:

• Excellent voice acting and writing
• Very funny
• Challenging for players of all skill levels

• The controls could be a little more streamlined

The day fast approaches when Guybrush Threepwood, Elaine Marley-Threepwood, Stan of Stan's Previously Owned Vessels, and the other bizarre characters from the beloved, anachronistic Monkey series come back to PC shores.

Customer Reviews:

• Hilarious, smart, and thoroughly enjoyable.
  I absolutely adore this game. I remember my brother playing it when it first came out and only just unearthed it from the depths of my closet a couple years ago. The moment I began playing it I decided I loved it.
  
  The game itself is not easy, but not too difficult either. Solutions to puzzles and the items that are able to be combined just add to the creativeness and humor of the game. I could quote Guybrush for months. ("That's our bedroom. Oh yeah.")
  
  It's not a childish game by any means and was not intended to be, but it's fun for people of any age. The graphics are not bad at all for their time, and the gameplay and storyline are beyond enjoyable. It got quite a bit of stick for Monkey Kombat, but I also adored that aspect of the game. I thought it was a fun, if not necessary, way to move the game along.
  
  All in all, I recommend this game be purchased, played, and then played again....more info
• Long time MI fan
  As a long time player of Lucas Arts Monkey Island games, I'm not disappointed with this one. The in-jokes are excellent.
  
  My only beef with the game is the lack of click and go playability that was so easy and straight-forward with the previous three games. Playing using only the keyboard made things a little fiddly.
  
  Other than that small issue, the graphics were excellent, the puzzles kept me busy for ages, and the reintroduction of some old and familiar characters, definitely enjoyable...more info
• Great fun
  I thought this game was a lot of fun. The acting was superb. You just have to love Guybrush Threepwood's ingenuous charm! The graphics were beautiful. It's almost worth playing just to see the swirly clouds in the sky! I see several reviewers complained about the 3D effects, but I thought they were very well done. The only complaint I agree with is the lack of mouse control. All in all, I highly recommend this game. It's brilliant and made my husband and me laugh out loud quite a lot. Great fun....more info
• I loved every monkey island, except this one
  I loved to play monkey island 1 when i was 6 and 7, monkey island 2 was also great, and COMI was my favorite, the painted backgrounds were beautiful, the music was good enough to stand on its own, and the voice acting was superb. Not to mention how well the cartoony graphics style fit into the series. Then monkey island 4 came along and wrecked it all. the graphics were horrible, the 3d animation was terrible, and didn't fit the series at all. the new voice for elaine is SO OBNOXIOUS!... why couldn't they get the old voice from COMI back? The plot it stupid, and the interface is among the worse I have ever used. Every since sometime in the mid 1980's there was this great invention called the MOUSE! Having to use the keyboard all the time was so frustrating! The puzzles were obscure, and had nothing to do with the plot. I hope that if lucasarts makes an MI5, they'll go back to 2d graphics, and add mouse support!...more info
• Great game!
  It's a very fun and cool game. Sometimes you want to destroy it and sometimes you love it. Another thing is that more and harder puzzle and new islands....more info
• escape from monkey island
  Playing the Sims in German is better than playing this game. Talk about convaluted. Save your money on this one. Art work and graphics are it's only savers....more info
• Good...I mean..GREAT!
  This game looks soooooooo good. it looks like its going to be really big. ive played all 3 of the past monkey islands and i dont think i need to say anymore than that it KICKS!...more info
• Can't Go Wrong With Monkey Island
  I've been following the Monkey Island series since it's debut. Needless to say, I have extreme respect for Lucas Arts and their work. This is a series that I have enjoyed more with each addition to the line. For past Monkey fans, the largest change will be the conversion to the 3D engine. My biggest caveat is the navigation system, it's keyboard only. Having said that, I found it to be usable, yet it is a far cry from the extremely pleasent and functional point and click system of Curse of Monkey Island (Monkey Island 3). Having acknowledged this, the game is up to Monkey Island standards, and immerses you in the satirical world of Guybrush Threepwood, famous pirate. As always, Guybrush blunders his way through the game, with peril nipping at his feet.

  For Monkey fans and new players alike, this series is already a classic, pick up Lucas Arts' new star....more info

• it's no Grim Fandango.
  One thing's for sure, this game wouldn't have been as half as enjoyable if I hadn't played the previous versions of Monkey Island because of the inside jokes and re-encountering old characters.

  It has very funny parts (I mean, really laughing out loud parts), but the game is not an improvement from what was Curse of Monkey Island. I remember enjoying 'Curse' a whole lot more--not to mention Grim Fandango (the best adventure game i have ever played, by the way from LucasArts too and in 3-D). If you've played Grim Fandango you'll have no problem with character movement. I don't know why people can't figure it out so easily.

  Technologically, I did have a few problems with the game. It froze once, but I had it saved so no prob. What really got on my nerves was the memory recovery for H.T. part (you'll know when you get there) which didn't work even though I had done every necessary steps. I had to redo all over that part of the game and surprisingly it worked then. **Advice: keep a bunch of saved games cause it does have it's glitches.**

  I should've waited 'til this one was in the 'Outlet'. I think it's the last time before I buy a no-review new release just based on the series reputation....more info

• I love Monkey Island! No matter what!
  I loved MI4 just as much as the other ones. I didn't notice Elaines voice change(I know there was one), it didn't matter to me... I was always used to reading through everything in MI1 and MI2. But I would have to agree with everyone else on one thing, please change the graphics back to 2d, just like MI3! I LOVED THOSE GRAPHICS! People don't want reality MI, they want the good ole fashion cartoon MI! Lucas Arts needs to make a MI5, I would buy it the second it came to stores. I just hope they make it in 2d graphics, I think everyone will agree with me on that. The scenery is beautiful and the colors almost jump out of the monitor at you! But I still loved MI4! I am a loyal fan!...more info
• not as amusing as the writers thought
  This is the fourth installment in LucasArts' "Monkey Island" series. Producers of the game have stated in on-line interviews that there would indeed be a fifth installment, but as of my writing it's apparently not under production.
  
  I bought and played this one essentially on the strength of the third item in the series, "Escape from Monkey Island," which I adjudge to be far better.
  
  They seemed to have a winning recipe in that installment: why did they completely overhaul the concept?
  
  Well, okay, not everything was overhauled. The voice actors, atmosphere, and quirky sense of humor are all intact, but the game designers saw fit to completely revamp the way Guybrush moves around the screen. And whether you set his movement to "character-relative" or "screen-relative," it never seems to work right.
  
  Nor do the gamemakers think anything of including a lot of puzzles that rely on a timer, so you've got to manuever this difficult to control character around before a certain door closes, etc. I don't think they had the right to do that, so to speak, while the character movement was so wonky.
  
  But the thing that really gets my goat is that they took the unique, beautiful cartoony look of Monkey Island 3 and replaced it with CGI drawn characters, which effectively robs this series of its central charm: superior visuals.
  
  The look of the islands, the sky, the clouds, and even the characters in Monkey 3 was so well-done and charming that I stuck with that game just to enjoy the game's eye-candy. I thought it was the game's greatest strength. And that's precisely what they've monkeyed with -- pardon the pun.
  
  In fact, with the stunning visuals gone, the character of the gameplay rises to the fore, and the idiocy and frustration of many of the puzzles becomes unbdeniably apparent.
  
  In fact, I got so frustrated with Monkey 4 that, after getting about halfway through the game, I just sat there with a walkthrough trying to get through the rest of it. Even with the walkthrough, though, it was still a slog! The entire time I was cheating, I kept thinking, "Sheesh. I'm glad I didn't waste precious hours of my life agonizing over that puzzle. I would simply never have guessed the solution, since THE SOLUTION DOESN'T MAKE ANY FLIPPIN' SENSE!"
  
  . . . which means if you'd like to go through this game straight, you've basically got to try to pick up every object, try every object you have on every other object in every possible screen.
  
  If you find this kind of thing fun, then knock yourself out....more info
• Best game in years
  Monkey Island is the fourth installment in the legendary Monkey Island series and I'm glad to say that this game is a joy to play! The graphics are great, the music amazing and the voice acting perfect, but it's the plot that really makes the game shine. EMI has a sarcastic storyline that throws jabs at the tourist traps we're turning our cities into. That the story is told in an ultra funny way doesn't hurt either. Guybrush is his typical self - a dimwit who most likely would make an over-complicated project out of tying his shoes. All in all I would recommend this game to anyone who likes devious puzzles, great humor and wonderful storylines. A must have!...more info
• has it's flaws but it continues the Monkey island legacy
  I loved the original monkey island games when they were 2-d and voiceless, the recent updates including the curse of monkey island, which was amazing, now comes the 4th escape from monkey island. Its enjoyable from every aspect, now with a dandy new, 3D format, Monkey island 4 is a wonderful gaming expierience. The basic story brings the loveable yet goofy Guybrush Threepwood and his newly wed wife Elaine, they return from their honeymoon to find a new governer set to run against Elaine in the upcoming election, and this puts elaine to work on her new campaign (...), yet bluntly, this opposing governer turns out to be the dreaded ghost pirate Le'chuck, who is planning to take over the seven seas with the ultimate insult. So in light of the return of Le'chuck, Guybrush sets out on another journey to find the ultimate insult and finally put le'chuck to his demise. The only drawback of this game, is the monkey combat, it gets really annoying after a while and i admit I took a break from the game for almost a month because of it, yet I returned to it and realized the simplicity of it. You have to remember that ,this game takes a bit of time to conquer if you do not have the strategy guide, but other than the monkey combat aspect, this game kicks major ass! its an essential for any Monkey island fan.

  -

  November 3, 2003...more info

• The Great Escape
  Ahoy there, monkey-island buccaneers and landlubbers alike! Lucas Arts is back with its much-adored 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise, and are they back with a bang! Though not quite as absorbing as its 3 predecessors, it's definitely a rollicking adventure, and best of all, far exceeds what many thought would be a final tying up episode.
  At the end of the Curse of Monkey Island, we had our wannabe pirate hero Guybrush Threepwood finally marrying Elaine Marley, the Governor of Mel¨¦e Island. So we begin with her returning to her own mansion, only to find that her extended absence has misled people into believing she's dead. The search for the required documents leads Guybrush to Lucre Island, and from here unravels a whole new plot. Events force Guybrush to set sail in search of the Ultimate Insult, a terrifyingly powerful Voodoo weapon. Worse, he has on his trail the slimy Ozzie Mandrill. He's a bent old Australian developer bent on converting the pirate paradise into a wholesome tourist attraction. On his quest, Guybrush must accomplish Herculean tasks and ultimately make the eponymous Escape from Monkey Island.
  
  You've got to hand it to these guys. They've convincingly managed to construct a whole new plot from what seemed to be the ashes of a completed trilogy. What's better is that they draw from the previous games' unanswered questions, bring in old characters, and huge revelations are made. All this while maintaining its freshness. Old islands like Mel¨¦e and Monkey Island are accurately revamped , while new ones like Jambalaya and Lucre dazzle with their imaginativeness. The result is a coherent narrative.
  
  Most prominently, the entire game now unfolds in 3d, leading to gorgeous graphics without destroying the cartoony appeal. The game runs on the Grim Fandango Engine, and therein lies the problem. It is a major ordeal to maneouvre your character by keyboard, and remember which key does what. Using inventory is a major headache and you can only interact with an object if its name appears. Getting your character to the right spot is sometimes more challenging than the puzzles. What a stark contrast to the simple CMI interface! This is a definite downside of the game.
  Thanks to this hitch, one doesn't get to soak in completely the luscious backgrounds. The sea is stunning, the clouds and topiaries are as surreal as before. As for characters, I do admit I liked the lanky Guybrush of the previous game better, but his outfit makes up for it. We get to enjoy the amusing Guybrush- Elaine relationship, shown more tenderly than in all 3 previous games. Old characters like LeChuck (yes!), Carla and Otis, Murray, Stan, the Voodoo Lady and Herman Toothrot return. There aren't too many new ones- but Dead-Eye Dave, Admiral (Whatever) Casaba and Father Rasputin are quite fun.
  Music too, is good, though not fantastic. Agreed, it can't match CMI and there is a lot of recycling and d¨¦j¨¤ vu. However, it is every bit foot-tapping and the scores of Lua Bar and Planet Threepwood are flashes of genius. Backgrounds, characters, music: when these three come together, we have a feast for the senses. Scumm Bar and Knuttin Atoll are textbooks in atmosphere building! Atmosphere, after all, is the pi¨¨ce de resistance of the series.
  Last of all, but probably most importantly, the puzzles are a pleasant surprise. Some like in Act 1 are a piece of cake, while others like Monkey Kombat and Mysts of Tyme are devilishly subtle. We still have the inventive use of inventory...like prosthetic skin as a trampoline and a dunce hat used to improve your diving score. You get most of it if you try hard enough (and conquer the keyboard interface). But I'm glad to say there's no repetition of puzzles from the previous games. There's a fair deal of real treasure-hunting, Matrimonial Lava Rides, boulder hurling, Insult Arm Wrestling and freeing yourself after being framed. The pirate world gets increasingly modern thanks to Mandrill- we now have banks, perfumes, Sushi-bars, theme restaurants, lawyers, groggeries and Star Buccaneers Coffee- things we couldn't even dream of in the prequels (unless you count the Carnival of the Dead). In short, they haven't limited their imaginations. All in all, the puzzles are just right- neither too tough or too easy. Some are outright silly, (like knocking an amnesiac's head in various ways) but all in all, the puzzles make a refreshingly novel cocktail.
  In totality, this game is a joyride of clean, roll-on-floor fun from start to finish! It's especially so if you have the patience to get past the taxing `what-do-I-do-now' parts and the blasted keyboard. Another hitch is the boringly slow pace in the Monkey Island Act, the only place I lost interest. Overall storyline may be weak in places, but you hardly notice. But clever and witty dialogues, amazing cutscenes, absorbing characters and atmosphere and innovative puzzles, more than make up for that.
  Some may love it, some may hate it, but surely no one can forget it.
  Since every secret is unveiled here, there doesn't seem to be much chance of making a sequel without looking like a dragged soap opera. Thus, though it has its imperfections, Escape from Monkey Island makes a fitting conclusion- thoroughly satisfying for the discerning game-geek. This is one sea any parrot worth its pieces-of-eight will advise you to set sail in. It raaaaaaks.
  
  ...more info
• Play the demo and you will believe.
  Escape form Monkey Island is very impressive. Not in graphics, but in the quality of writing(although the graphics are amazing). If yo have any doubts to the game, download the demo. It is almost 120MB, but it is worth the wait considering the game isn't coming out for another three weeks. The transition is seamless and the dialogue is funny. You probably hear whining about how it is keyboard only. I played with a joystick and it was really easy. Sure to be a classic like the other three before it....more info
• In the MI series Curse is still the best.
  One thing's for sure, this game wouldn't have been as half as enjoyable if I hadn't played the previous versions of Monkey Island because of the inside jokes and re-encountering old characters. It has very funny parts (I mean, really laughing out loud parts), but the game is not an improvement from what was Curse of Monkey Island. I remember enjoying 'Curse' a whole lot more--not to mention Grim Fandango (the best adventure game i have ever played, by the way from LucasArts too and in 3-D). If you've played Grim Fandango you'll have no problem with character movement. I don't know why people can't figure it out so easily.

  Technologically, I did have a few problems with the game. It froze once, but I had it saved so no prob. What really got on my nerves was the memory recovery for H.T. part (you'll know when you get there) which didn't work even though I had done every necessary steps. I had to redo all over that part of the game and surprisingly it worked then. **Advice: keep a bunch of saved games cause it does have it's glitches.**

  I should've waited 'til this one was in the 'Outlet'. I think it's the last time before I buy a no-review new release just based on the series reputation....more info

• If you aren't already going to buy it, try the demo
  If you are stuck on whether or not to buy this game...download the demo, it will definatly make you want to buy it...more info