‘Appy Monday!  I recently got a new iPod Touch, and have been wading through the myriad of apps available.  As I try them out, I thought I’d give my opinion of them and let you know whether they’re worth your time and money.  First up is The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition by LucasArts.  It was released on July 23, 2009 for the iPhone/iPod Touch, and versions were also released on Xbox Live Arcade and the PC.

Premise

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is an enhanced remake of the 1990 point and click adventure game.  It is the tale of young Guybrush Threepwood, who wants to be a pirate.  He goes out to prove himself to the Pirate Leaders by besting a series of challenges.  Along the way he runs afoul of the nasty ghost pirate LeChuck and must save the beautiful damsel Elaine.

Presentation

The original game was enhanced with new animation and character art, and a widescreen presentation.  The colors look sharp and the visuals are clear. You can use the standard Apple pinch to zoom in and out if you want as well.

The audio was also remastered, and re-recorded, with previously unrecorded lines dubbed by the original voice cast.  The sound and music are crisp and don’t interfere with one another.  If you want to play with the sound off, the game is also subtitled.

Interface

The game is a bit different from what you’d think of from and iPhone/iPod Touch game, in that you don’t really tap around the screen like a standard game.  Instead, you move a cursor with your finger like a trackpad.  This seems clumsy at first, but in reality it offers  more versatility.  The menu and inventory that took up much of the lower screen in the original game can now be pulled up with a menu.  All the oringal gameplay is still there, though, and to prove it, just do a two-fingered swipe down the screen.  That brings up classic mode in all it’s 256 color, midi sounding glory.  You can switch between the two modes right in the middle of gameplay, without skipping a beat. A new 3-tiered hint system is also included, in case some of the puzzle aspects confound you.

Freshness

There are very few games like this on the app store.  The original game is a true classic, and this special edition brings it up to modern standards and enhances it, while retaining the original gameplay.  The voicework is great and the dialogue is still funny as hell.

Value

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition was released on the app store at a U.S. price point of $7.99.  That’s a bit on the high side for a game on the app store, but worth it if you like the genre or were a fan of the classic game and/or the old point-and-click style games.  Not to mention the cheapest of the three releases, as the XBLA game and downloadable PC game are both priced at $10.

An update was released last week that fixed some 3Gs bugs and audio issues, as well as fine-tuned the controls.  I snagged the game on sale for $3.99 last Friday, which was a great value.  By the time this post goes up, I believe it will be back to $7.99, but there’s a free Lite version available.  I encourage everyone to give it a shot and see how good both old school gaming and iPhone/iPod Touch gaming can be.

Summary

Premise: Good
Presentation: Superlative
Interface: Impressive
Freshness: Excellent
Value: Decent
Overall: Great Game