Michael Land - Phatt Island Jail [Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge]

Michael Land - The Barbery Coast [The Curse of Monkey Island]

This is my favourite track from the entire Monkey Island saga (my 2nd favourite is a tie between Largo LaGrande’s entrance theme from Monkey Island II and the SCUMM Bar theme from Monkey Island I).

I love the “piratey” mood the above theme evokes as well having an almost “Tudor-ish” vibe running throughout the whole piece. Brilliant work from Michael Land as usual.

Occasionally on a Friday I’ll be posting my personal “Game of the Week”, depending on what I’ve been playing during the previous 7 days. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a new release - it could be a game I’ve re-discovered at the back of my wardrobe or a classic I’ve re-purchased on a whim.

However, if I’ve not been able to get near a console (as if that would ever happen), that week’s GOTW will be whatever the gaming world is going ga-ga over - as long as its something that’s piqued my interest.

This week’s GOTW is…..The Curse of Monkey Island (or ‘Monkey Island III’).

P.S. The image used at the top of this post is obviously not my handiwork - I’ve photoshopped it ever so slightly. Can you tell?

For those of us who remember the time when a video game was spread over 10 floppy disks, and an ‘Amiga’ was not the female equivalent of an ‘amigo’, the above video will most certainly result in a trip down memory lane.

Released in 1990, this particular slice of point ‘n’ click genius was designed by Ron Gilbert, Tim Schafer and Dave Grossman. It entranced a generation (mostly teenagers who were extremely familiar with the four walls of their bedroom) and is considered to be one of the greatest achievements in gaming history.

Devoid of a multi-million dollar budget, this was a game that relied on imagination and active participation instead of spectacle. Ally the simple yet logical gameplay with the fiendishly clever puzzles, and mix it all up with the offbeat humour it so proudly wore on it’s sleeve you’d have to be a robot (or a many-handed idol) not to chuckle at the adventures of the protagonist, the unfortunately-named Guybrush Threepwood.

Anyway, sit-back and enjoy a full walkthrough video from the Amiga version of The Secret of Monkey Island, courtesy of cubex55.