The Game

It's got monkeys, and it's on an island!

The most important thing that anyone can ask is "is this truly a Monkey Island game"? From what we can see in the demo, the answer is a resounding yes! The style, the flair, the dialogue and the characters are pure monkey. Guybrush is still on his quest to drink his first grog, and the jokes are wildly entertaining. Following that grog example, he needs to be ID'd at the bar and one of the gags is "what, don't I look 14?" Throughout the game, the comedy works on so many levels in the joke.

Scummy

Wow, Grand Master Championship

As far as we can tell, there's no more Murray the Evil Skull with his world domination plans, but with so much more to the game, you never know. However, other old favorite characters do make new appearances. Your original Monkey Island crew (whom you abandoned on that God-forsaken island) return to the game as well as other favorite characters you met in your previous adventures.

The plot starts out strangely enough. Your wife, fresh back with you from the honeymoon, is declared legally dead and the Governor's Mansion (your home) is about to be demolished. It seems that an Australian (of all things) land developer is taking over the island and driving the inhabitants out of their homes through hostile take-overs. Naturally, in Monkey Island, a hostile takeover means something quite different from what you'd expect. Remember "Insult Swordfighting" in the 3rd installment in the series? Keep that train of thought...

Um, yeah. I can aim.

Whatcha lookin' at?

All-in-All

Despite the new 3D graphics engine and annoyingly slow movement on Guybrush's part, Monkey Island 4 looks promising. The graphics are much better than expected for 3D while the slow movement is just a minor inconvenience. The game seems to be shaping up quite well.

We might mourn the loss of the traditional graphics, but the core of the game is faithful and has the heart of a real monkey.

You can download the 120MB Monkey Island 4 demo from CNET.

Oops	Have any grog?