Guybrush Threepwood is back! Who? The 'hero' of the Monkey Island series. Of course, you may still be drawing a blank if you've never played any of the games, so I'll explain. The Monkey Island games - all four of them - were point and click adventures produced by Lucasarts back when they weren't cranking out dire Star Wars game after dire Star Wars game. These days adventure games are few and far between, but Telltale Games, makers of the recent series of Sam and Max games managed to get hold of the Monkey Island licence and resurrect the series.

So, it's been eight years since the last Monkey Island game - what has Guybrush been up to? You never really find out, since the game starts with him facing down his old nemesis LeChuck, and things take a turn for the worse from there, due in part to Guybrush's trademark incompetence. He ends up being separated from his ship, and his wife, and finds himself stranded on Flotsam Island. Pirate adventures ahoy! Completely historically inaccurate ones that is, given that the game takes some liberties.

Unlike Telltale's Sam and Max series, Tales from Monkey Island forms part of a single narrative, so you won't find out how the story ends till the final episode's released, some time in November. But this first episode, which can be had for free from
here is pretty good. There's plenty of gags, and the puzzles are taxing but the solutions are never obscure. You'll solve a puzzle and wonder why you didn't think of the solution sooner.


The graphics are also pretty good, and are 3D rather than 2D, and the sound and voice work is great too. If you're a fan of the Monkey Island series or just adventure games in general, then Tales of Monkey Island Episode 1 is well worth checking out. Given that you can't buy the episodes individually - in the UK, at least - I'd give it a go before you spend your money. I loved it, and I've already spent the twenty pounds or so for the whole series. Excellent stuff.