By Marty Mulrooney
We are now at the halfway point in Telltale’s take on the Monkey Island Universe. Tales of Monkey Island has so far provided fans with two excellent games that we are still amazed have even seen the light of day in the first place… although I did note in my review for The Siege Of Spinner Cay that some technical shortcomings were ruining the proceedings somewhat… So now, it’s crunch time. We can no longer let nostalgia and love for this classic adventure franchise cloud our judgement. How does Chapter 3 measure up as an adventure game in its own right?
Well first of all, any technical shortcomings from the last two chapters have disappeared with this, the third chapter in a five-part adventure of piratey proportions. I am happy to say that Lair Of The Leviathan had addressed nearly every single niggle I had with the previous two episodes: it is tightly woven, consistently funny, and a joy in both the graphics and sound departments.
When Tales Of Monkey Island, and the forthcoming remake of The Secret Of Monkey Island, were announced at E3 this year, many adventure fans gasped in a mixture of shock and delight. Any adventure fan will surely tell you that adventure gaming, contrary to popular belief, never truly died. There have been some excellent adventures released in recent years, even if they have flown under the radar compared to the overwhelming explosion made by high-definition gaming and the PS3/XBOX360/Wii console dominance.
Martin Mulrooney
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