22: The Secret of Monkey Island

Number 22
(176.6 points)
The Secret of Monkey Island
1992: 4 (19.4)
1995: 7 (75.2)
1996: 19 (82.0)

This is a little bit confusing: the two Monkey Island games appeared on all but the 1991 list, but Amiga Power's decisions on inclusion meant that the first game featured in 1992, the second in 1993 and 1994, but both games were combined into a single entry for 1995 and 1996. As a result, I decided to include the two games separately (they are separate games, after all) but give equal points to both of them for their joint entries in the latter two lists (giving half to each would be a bit unfair, I think).

Guybrush Threepwood wants to be a pirate, so he asks three pirates at the Scumm Bar what he needs to do to prove himself. He masters sword fighting (with witty insults), steals a valuable artefact, and finds the treasure of Mêlée Island, before assembling a crew to set sail and rescue Governor Marley. This classic point-and-click adventure became the bar against which all others were measured at the time, and is still very enjoyable to play today.

I adored Monkey Island back in the day: I played it on PC, on whatever hardware I could lay my hands on, mostly without a sound card, and with EGA or even CGA graphics, because the quality shone through. There are better ways to play it today than this Amiga version, not least the 2009 special edition, but if you're a Monkey Island fanatic then why not enjoy the unique music - arranged by famed Amiga composer Chris Huelsbeck, no less.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
Secret of Monkey Island, The v1.2 (1993)(Kixx XL)(Disk 1 of 4)[budget]
Secret of Monkey Island, The v1.2 (1993)(Kixx XL)(Disk 2 of 4)[budget]
Secret of Monkey Island, The v1.2 (1993)(Kixx XL)(Disk 3 of 4)[budget]
Secret of Monkey Island, The v1.2 (1993)(Kixx XL)(Disk 4 of 4)[budget]