I've played Monkey Island enough times that it's difficult to mentally reframe it into this chronological context, but it really does feel more polished and lighter on its feet. The Men Of Low Moral Fiber are a good example - they have strong writing, good looking character art, and actual comic timing and slapstick; the game has pitched and achieved its ambition perfectly.
It still feels quiet at points, but there's more background music and sound going on. It's got characters wandering around of their own accord but that only serves to help not hinder you. There's a maze but Guybrush refuses to go in until he's got some sort of guide. It's clear why this is the game that gets labelled as the point where Lucasarts cemented their formula. The only, minor annoyance so far has been that Marley's mansion doesn't connect to the map screen.
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Finished Monkey 1! This is great. Looks lovely (I'm on the PC CD version - I think this is pretty much the last time I'll need to worry about what version I'm playing, they're all pretty uniform going forward), genuinely funny, and the puzzles are mostly fair and satisfying.
There are only a few little niggles: the occasional dodgy puzzle or hotspot (maybe I missed a hint, but how should I know the yellow flowers will drug the dogs? And that fort is very easy to miss, though Herman does mention its existence at one point); slightly too much walking back and forth on Monkey Island which easily could have been skipped once access is gained; the graphics still have some rough edges and the audio is still a little bare in places (though the music is fantastic - the MI theme and LeChuck theme still kick today).
Finally, one could criticise the story for being so slender as to be almost non-existent - 'you want to be a pirate for no reason, so here's some stuff to do; oh no, the woman you met for ten seconds got kidnapped, go rescue her'. But I think that, similarly to the popular Raiders Of The Lost Ark fan theory/criticism (which I don't really agree with n that case, but that's a topic for another time), this is the point. If Guybrush hadn't shown up, not much would have happened differently - Elaine would have got kidnapped, rescued herself and defeated LeChuck; this, along with his lack of motivation, underlines the fact that he's just playing at being pirate, something which builds in significance come the sequel. Also, on a practical level, the comedy plays better if there's not too much storifying getting in the way. Besides, the game still has some depth even if the narrative is slight - the motley Monkey Island residents' long history of fractious co-existence as told through the piles of passive-aggressive notes strewn about the place, for example, or the easily missed detail that Melee Island's employ of a blind lookout is part of LeChuck's schemes.
Rating: Green.
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