Welcome, ye scurvy landlubbers, to a rum-fuelled edition of Visual Memory! The grog isn’t strictly necessary, but it’s rather fitting for the game Christopher Bell has loaded into the cannons this month. Prepare to set sail for The Secret of Monkey Island!
This classic point-and-click adventure was created by a triumvirate of designers and writers, Ron Gilbert, Dave Grossman and Tim Schaffer, as an alternative to heavy-handed adventure games where one slip meant instant death or inability to complete the game. This was meant to be a more forgiving (there’s only one place you can die, and that’s by drowning), and thus more enjoyable experience.
Players take on the mantle of Guybrush Threepwood, a young scallywag out to prove himself as a mighty pirate on Mêlée Island. To do this he needs to complete three tasks to impress a trio of pirate lords. Along the way, he will meet the love of his life (the governess of Mêlée Island, Elaine Marley), as well as battling the ghost of LeChuck, an infamous pirate out to marry Elaine by any means necessary.