All of the secondary characters are just as inspired, with even famed child star Gary Coleman playing a small role. Dominic Armato provides a perfect Guybrush (he’s a self professed Monkey Island fanboy), while Earl Boen sneers wonderfully as LeChuck, and Alexandra Boyd gives Elaine Marley a charming British accent. The full motion cutscenes are good enough to appear in a professionally animated movie – it’s that good. The sprites are huge and perfectly animated, although Guybrush’s sprite does pixellate as he scales back and forth on the scenery, which does slightly shatter the otherwise brilliant magic of the visuals. Guybrush is tall, lanky, with eyes spread a bit too far apart, and looks a bit like his rendition in the first game, clean shaven with a white shirt.

It’s all scanned from illustrated cels, with a distinctly goofy art style that might vaguely recall Looney Tunes and occasionally a bit of Matt Groening but stands completely on its own. The backgrounds are gorgeously drawn, but the real standout is the character artwork. This is the first of the series to be developed explicitly for CD, utilizing full voiced dialogue, SVGA graphics, and full motion video cutscenes. Much technological progress had been made between the second and third Monkey Island games. And it’s an outstandingly fantastic looking and sounding game. Ahern also serves as art director, with veteran Bill Tiller working on the backgrounds. While Ron Gilbert had since left LucasArts by the time The Curse of Monkey Island was in development, the reins were handed over to Jonathan Ackley and Larry Ahern, who had previously worked on other LucasArts games like Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle and Sam & Max Hit the Road. During his search through the Caribbean for a cure, LeChuck is still after Guybrush, and he must once again face off with him at the end. Guybrush sets off to explore Plunder Island and its fearsome Puerto Pollo, named after the ravenous (not really) chickens that infest the area. He gives it to his sweetheart, who graciously accepts, both unaware that the ring is cursed, and will turn anyone who wears it to gold. Guybrush helps sink LeChuck’s crew and finds a gorgeous looking ring in LeChuck’s treasure hold. With an outstanding sense of luck, Guybrush happens upon LeChuck, who’s now a demon with a flaming beard, engaged in ship-to-ship combat with Elaine Marley near Plunder Island. Guybrush is floating throughout the sea, apparently having escaped from LeChuck’s “Carnival of the Damned”, with little memory of the events at the end of the last game. Monkey Island 2 ended somewhat confusingly, and so the third game begins on a similarly baffling note.

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