As with any adventure game, a huge portion of its worth hinges on its gameplay. MI2 is much like any of the classic LucasArts adventure titles in that its puzzles range from straight forward to truly bizarre. Frequently, the correct course of action seems fairly transparent, but there are also many times when random inventory manipulation and a dash of creativity are needed to figure out what to do next.

To that end, another bright spot is the return of the in-game hint guide, cutting out the middle man of sending scores of confounded gamers to their PCs to look up the next step. The hint system will give three scaling hints, starting with a subtle push in the right direction and ending with an obvious “do this next”-esque statement. While the adventure game purists out there may frown at this readily accessible cheat mechanic, it’s none-the-less good to have. We may wish for today’s youth to be stuck going through the painstaking agony of figuring out exactly what to do with that rubber chicken in our inventories, but let’s face it, the dynamics of information have changed and they would just look it up on CheatCC anyway.

The biggest fault I had with the game is its new control system of directly moving Guybrush Threepwood using the left analog stick. In theory, this should make for a better and more modern control scheme; however, it instead often felt clunky and unpolished. There seemed to be invisible obstructions that kept movement from being entirely free flowing and kept Guybrush from smoothly getting where I wanted him to go. There is the option to change movement back to the point and click style, which started sounding appealing to me half way through the first act.

Although the new movement controls aren’t perfect, the quick command options are a blessing, as is the button to highlight any interactive objects on the screen. Pixel hunting is a thing of the past, and I couldn’t be more pleased about it. And Once you’ve moved the cursor to the object you’d like to interact with, a radial menu of available commands opens up for quick selecting. It’s so much more streamlined and polished that you wonder why this wasn’t incorporated before.

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All in all, Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck’s Revenge is a great update on a classic game in video game history. While it has been enhanced for the better in nearly every way, the ability to just go back to the original game style at any time is a nice nod to the older generation that likes their products left alone. Add in the available MST3K style commentary from the game’s creators, and there’s a lot of bang for your buck here. If you’re already a fan of the adventure genre, you know what you’ll be getting and don’t need me to tell you it’s worth picking up. But if you are new to these whacky adventure titles, this is as good a starting point as you will find.

By Caleb Newby
CCC Freelance Writer