Ah, the Point and Click Adventure. A genre I've loved ever since the days of my Amiga 500, a genre I still love to this day (my 12th P&C adventure review for Fusion is in issue 61 and there's a couple more on the way for them too, demonstrating how vibrant the form is to this day, especially amongst Indie developers), and one where my first steps were taken on Melee Island. This is where Nicolas Deneschau's 300-plus page opus from Third Editions comes in.
If you've ever wanted to know the history of the seminal series in one place, then this is the book for you. You'll first notice the high quality of the book itself - a hefty tome with a clean presentation and well spaced text. There are few illustrations, but those that are included are top notch and fit the subject perfectly, and a foreword is provided by Larry Ahern, co-director of Curse of Monkey Island.
The layout of the tale is pretty straightforward, gently easing the reader in with a potted history of Lucasfilm Games, the move to point and click adventures, and the creation of the SCUMM engine. From there, each title is detailed in chronological order, with cursive text boxouts offering Guybrush's diary of what occurred in each release.
From the beginning, there is very much a personal angle from the author, and as a long time M.I. player, that approach resonated highly with me. This isn't just a history of the games themselves, but also of the state of gaming at the time, how people played games back then (disk swapping, urghhh), and how the market changed as the series evolved.
Much research has been carried out and there are numerous footnotes pointing you to original sources. The author also uses footnotes to relate personal experiences and commentary. Many of these are funny, if not down right hilarious and adds greatly to the overall personality permeating the writing.
There is plenty to learn here, especially about the movie adaptation that was once mooted, and of course the story doesn't end with the third game, Curse of Monkey Island. No, from there we move on to the Telltale Games entries and beyond, finishing with the most recent of the series, Return to Monkey Island. All the while, the narrative is interwoven with quotes and amusing bon mots, and it's almost a shame when you reach the last of the main chapters, as you realise that you've more than enjoyed the company of Nicholas. That also draws attention to the quality of the translation: it is superb!
Four appendices finish proceedings off: the first details the insult fighting replies from the first game, the second offers potted biographies of key individuals, the third lists the classic adventure games from LucasArts, and the fourth contains the lyrics to "Plank of Love".
This was the first book from Third Editions that I'd heard of, courtesy of a tweet from Konstantinos Dimopoulos of Virtual Cities fame. Having checked out the other titles from the publisher list at the back of this volume, and having enjoyed this one so much, is it any surprise that I ordered another book from them, this one heading for Uncharted territory...
You can pick up a copy of this and other Third Edition books from Amazon. Bear in mind that as a UK customer, there is a bit of a wait between ordering and delivery but such is the way of things, and it would be a shame for anyone to miss out on such a well written, heartening narrative of one of the best games series ever created. You can also follow the author on X - @Nicozilla_FR.
A review of this recent arrival will also be coming soon (well, as soon as I've read it...).
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