Currently Online 
| #18 | The Secret of Monkey Island |
|---|---|
| guessed by | The_Liquid_Laser |
| platform | DOS |
| release year | 1990 |
| developer/publisher | Lucasfilm Games (aka LucasArts) |
| genre | point-and-click adventure |
| links | Wikipedia |
| play in browser (archive.org) | |
| past years | 2020: #18, 2019: #19, 2018: #17, 2017: #20 |
I loved LucasArts adventures and the first Monkey Island is one fine example of their great work. The game was designed by Ron Gilbert, Tim Schafer and Dave Grossman and is a great achievement for them.
This great is not made with difficult puzzles in mind (although they can sometimes quite the brainteasers) or action and player death. The main focus for this game lies in exploration and just outright fun. The game has humour at each corner. Like the message after you poisoned the guard dogs. Or who played it might remember the red herring (which was an infamous item in one of the Zork games, as it had no use in any puzzle). Or the hollow tree stump which you can examine further. Or the guy who wants to be asked about Loom. And most importantly the time you learn sword-fight.
The premise of the game is simple: You play Guybrush Threepwood and you want to become a pirate. For that you have to overcome three trials. In the course of the story you also want to win the heart of Elaine Marley and then there is this rumour about the ghost pirate LeChuck!
The game is a classic and pretty much every adventure fan should experience this joyride. If you own an old copy, you can run it again with the trusty DosBox or ScummVM. If you need a copy, you get the special edition with beefed up graphics (which in my opinion miss in part some charme of the original) but also the possibility to switch to original graphics at diverse shops. Or you can play it in the browser at archive.org.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F9ahZQ7oP0
