Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge

aka: MI2, The Secret of Monkey Island 2
Moby ID: 289
DOS Specs

Description official descriptions

Guybrush Threepwood, the mighty pirate who can hold his breath for ten minutes, could have lived quietly and happily with his sweetheart Elaine, the governor of Melee Island. But the restless pirate spirit won't let Guybrush in peace. Things don't go very well with Elaine, and Guybrush (now with a beard) embarks on a new adventure: searching for the legendary treasure of Big Whoop. However, the evil ghost pirate LeChuck hasn't left the stage yet. His subordinates are trying to bring him back from the dead one more time. Will Guybrush be able to defeat his archenemy again?

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge is a puzzle-solving adventure game and a sequel to The Secret of Monkey Island. It utilizes the same command-based SCUMM interface (the player uses verb commands on highlighted objects) and branching dialogue system (choosing between several different responses during conversations) that were used in its predecessor. The game features hand-painted graphics, and is the first to utilize LucasArts' iMUSE system, which synchronizes music with visual action on the screen by providing smooth transition between themes.

The events of the game take place on a new set of islands; a part of the game allows the player to explore several islands simultaneously. Uncommonly for adventure games, LeChuck's Revenge features two difficulty levels. The easier one is dubbed Monkey Island 2 Lite; it bypasses or simplifies some of the harder puzzles.

Spellings

  • モンキー・アイランド2 ル・チャックの逆襲 - Japanese spelling
  • 猴島小英雄2:李察克的復仇 - Traditional Chinese spelling

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Screenshots

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Credits (DOS version)

85 People (82 developers, 3 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 93% (based on 36 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.1 out of 5 (based on 483 ratings with 18 reviews)

The sequel to one of the best adventure games ever is also one of the best adventure games ever.

The Good
Monkey Island 2, the sequel to the highly acclaimed Secret Of Monkey Island, is also a great, great, great game. It tells the story of Guybrush Threepwood, a would-be pirate in search of Big Whoop, a truly legendary treasure, which is so secretly hidden nobody even knows what it consists of. The ghost pirate LeChuck, the bad guy which Guybrush killed in the first episode, is also back and seeks revenge. It is a fantastic tale whose elements could have populated the mind of some of the greatest writers in History, but, instead of writing a book, somebody decided to write a game script. And, somehow, it turned out to be a comedy graphic adventure with a great, although very strange, storyline.

The characters are really elaborated and have their own unique personality. The plot is amazing, really nice, and deserved a book or a movie (would have been a blockbuster). The whole tale is told in a humorous way and silly jokes and situations are frequent.

While most adventures games, even having a good plot, fail to get the attention of the player, Monkey Island is really involving and has a great ambience. Maybe because of the harmony between graphics, sound, controls and the idea. And also because the game doesn't take itself too seriously.

The interface is very nice, and makes the game very easy and comfortable to play. In other words, gameplay is fabulous! Thanks to Lucas Arts SCUMM system (which was, in those times, much better than Sierra OnLine system), the game is much nicer to play than many adventure games released after ten years.

The puzzles are not obvious as they are in many adventures. They are very well elaborated and some are very funny. Don't expect Monkey Island to be a logic game. The challenges may be silly, but they are very clever and sometimes require lots of thinking. The quality of the puzzles became a Monkey Island (and also a Lucas Arts) trademark.

The graphics were very good for a 1991 game. Of course there are no videos or 3D panoramas, but the 256-color VGA graphics (320x200 resolution) are still not only OK, but also involving. The hand-drawn backgrounds brought new standards to adventure games and the sprites (=moving objects) were as detailed as the low resolution could allow.

Music is fantastic. Well, at least for a game. In fact, the Monkey Island tune could have easily been the soundtrack to the Monkey Island movie. It really feels like something written by John Williams and, if not a true classic, at least a nice tune which fits the game and is easily recognizable. The sound quality is OK. Don't expect to hear Guybrush's voice and any elaborated sound effects. They are simple, but effective.

The Bad
There are indeed so many good things about this game the bad things get sort of offuscated or even forgiven.

The main problem: the years came and passed and Monkey Island 2 is dated. The graphics and sound are not impressive anymore and there are better interfaces. Technology evoluted and Monkey Island 2 deserved a re-make (Sierra is re-making the King's Quest series, why not a Monkey Island re-make?).

Well, yes, there are other problems. Problems which were born with the game. It is not short, but could have been longer. It is so nice to play people would beg for more (and the third episode only came six years later, so they had to wait a lot!).

And the end of the game seems to be the main point here. It is strange and does not seem to fit. It may be disappointing. I am not going to tell the end of the story here to spoil the fun. Some people even created theories to explain it. I'll just say that it makes sense thinking as the end of Monkey Island 2 as an isolated game and one could easily imagine what Big Whoop is. But it is strange to think of it in the context of the series. It doesn't reveal the secret of Monkey Island (and doesn't even mention it). Monkey Island 3 brought a different explanation for the game, but not very convincing.

The Bottom Line
TRUE CLASSIC. Monkey Island 2 is one of the best sequels ever and retains all the magic of the first game. And it is one of the reasons people say games were much better ten years ago.

DOS · by Mumm-Ra (393) · 2003

The great adventure of Guybrush Threepwood.

The Good
This game has it all: Unique story, intriguing plot, clever puzzles, memorable characters, ingenious humor, vast areas and superb music! It is a prime example of interactive drama.

The Bad
Monkey Island 2 is my best point and click game, so there are not many bad things to say about it. If I can complain of something, it is the small part of the role of Elaine Marley. Elaine is such a powerful person, that whenever she meets with Guybrush, she shapes a moment that moves the narrative forward.

The Bottom Line
Monkey Island 2 is one of the finest point and click adventures, so that it can be found regularly on the lists with the top video games of all time. The game is the sequel to the legendary "The Secret of Monkey Island" and both games have fairly gained a cult status and many followers. Monkey Island 2 shares many beautiful elements that make this sequel an instant classic: A funny protagonist, an original adventure, interactive music, exotic atmosphere and an unexpected ending. LucasArts created an adventure that feels real and doesn't limit the player's imagination. If you are keen on video games with a big world and its inhabitants, you should experience this Caribbean setting at least once.

DOS · by Stelios Kanitsakis (91) · 2018

I came back to let you know, I've gotta thing for you and I can't let go!

The Good
Playing this game was like kissing my first girlfriend, finishing this game was like losing my best friend. When I think of this game "Mr.BoJangles" by Sammy Davis Jnr comes to mind. That kind of sad, longing feeling for something which you know you'll never ever have again.

Every single thing. Even as a kid I could get the vast majority of the jokes. I just played it last night again and it makes me "laugh milk through my nose". Why don't they make games like this anymore? It makes me want to burn things in frustration. The modern day Monkey Island Adventures just don't compare in my opinion. I played this before I ever played Monkey 1, hence it was even better for me than other players.

This game even taught me how to balance my funds/finance. When I was a kid, it cost me IR£45. I saved up for a full year before I could buy it. Even since I was a kid, I have had a great mind for money, and its because of this game.

I'm telling you, Ron Gilbert will never know the influence he had on the younger generation of gameplayers.

The Bad
Absolutley nothing. Well okay, the complexity for a 9 year old was extreme , otherwise absolutley nothing.

The Bottom Line
Before Doom revolutionsed the Gaming industry, this and Ultima Underworld were the top dogs. When I was a kid I could more closley identify with Guybrush Threepwood(the main character) than I could with Jesus Christ. This game is insanley hillarious, entertaining, and best of all....now completley FREE! IMO - its the best game LucasArts ever made

DOS · by kubakuba (9) · 2003

[ View all 18 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
UPC and Disks? Edwin Drost (9295) Jan 22, 2017

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Amiga version

The Amiga version of this game was nicknamed Disk Juggling Simulator by the Amiga community because it came on 11 disks that have to be swapped around whilst playing the game.

Death

You can actually kill Guybrush! If you wait several minutes after being suspended above the pool of acid, you will be lowered into it.

Development

Ron Gilbert did not want to use a CD for this game, because he said it ran very slow and it didn't allow them to do what they wanted. He also believed that the CD wouldn't last for more than a couple of years. However, they were forced to delete six major scenes just for it to fit on five disks. However most of these scenes were not complete so a "director's cut" will never be made.

Big Whoop was never intended to be a large part of the game in the beginning.

German version

During development, the German translator Boris Schneider tried to convince Ron Gilbert to change the monkey wrench puzzle because it makes little sense in German. His idea was to switch out the monkey for an Englishman ("Engländer" is about the same idiom as "monkey wrench"). However, Gilbert did not give in.

iMUSE

This was one of the first games to use the iMUSE sound system.

Insult fighting

As of 2004, Monkey Island 2 is the only game in the main series so far to not include the famous Insult-Swordfighting battle sequences.

References

  • Sometimes in the gambling game, one of the possible prizes is a ticket to the Linguini Brother's Circus. But if you win the ticket and look at it, it'll say The Fettucini Brother's (from The Secret of Monkey Island)
  • In this game (as in many Lucasarts games) there are references to other Lucasarts products. For instance, in the antique shop, there is an Indy whip. The voodoo lady and LeChuck have great closeness to Star Wars. And Guybrush hates snakes, like Indiana Jones.
  • In the costume shop on Booty Island you can find costumes of two Hanna Barbera characters: Fred Flintstone and Huckleberry Hound.
  • There are a lot of books in the Phatt City library, one of them is called "The Majesty of the Sierras" (search the LM drawer). After you receive it from the librarian, take a look at it and Guybrush responds:

Sierras? Majestic? I think not. * Sam & Max also make an appearance in the game - look for them in the costume shop. * Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge was so named as a veiled Star Wars reference. The original subtitle of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi was Revenge of the Jedi.

FM Towns Cliff Puzzle

Normally, one of the puzzles in Monkey Island 2 requires Guybrush to use a fishing line to try and retrieve a map piece from the side of a cliff, only for a seagull to steal it and fly away to a treehouse. However, the FM Towns skips directly to the seagull taking the map piece to the treehouse, omitting the cliff puzzle entirely. It wasn't until 2022 when former LucasArts localization manager Aric Wilmunder explained that the puzzle was cut because of a bug with the vertical scrolling.

Sales

As of 2004, Monkey Island 2 is one of the best-selling adventure games ever, having sold over 500,000 copies.

Awards

  • Amiga Joker
    • Issue 02/1993 – Best Game of 1992 (Readers' Vote)
    • Issue 02/1993 – Best Adventure Game of 1992 (Readers' Vote)
  • Computer Gaming World
    • November 1992 (Issue #100) – Adventure Game of the Year
    • November 1996 (15th Anniversary Issue) - #74 in the “150 Best Games of All Time” list
    • November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) –#2 Funniest Computer Game (together with The Secret of Monkey Island)
  • Power Play
    • Issue 02/1992 – Best Adventure in 1991

Information also contributed by Agent 5, B.L. Stryker, festershinetop, James Kirk, Jason Harang, Late, Marek, Mumm-Ra, PCGamer77, Roedie and xxxxxxxxxxx

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Related Sites +

  • Hints for Monkey Island 2
    These hints will help you solve the game without spoiling it for you.
  • ScummVM
    Get "Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge", as well as many other adventure games, to run on modern systems by using ScummVM, a legal and free program.
  • The Monkey Island Scummbar
    Probably the oldest site dedicated to the Monkey Island series of games. Frequently updated.

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 289
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Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by eric aili.

Amiga added by POMAH. Macintosh added by Kabushi. Antstream added by lights out party. FM Towns added by Terok Nor.

Additional contributors: Trixter, jeff leyda, IJan, MAT, Unicorn Lynx, Jeanne, Apogee IV, Paulus18950, Patrick Bregger, FatherJack, Kayburt, Vincent Kinian.

Game added September 23, 1999. Last modified February 23, 2024.