Ghost Pirates Of Vooju Island

Some People Don't like the key that highlights usable objects in adventure games. They say it goes against everything they believe in. Without it, though, Ghost Pirates is hellish to play. Certain objects appear to be usable but aren't, and others are seamless with the background and are vital to progress. It's an utter nightmare, so if you're sensible you'll be hammering that reveal hotspots button in every location you enter. Without it, frustration sets in almost immediately, due to the annoying puzzles, downright unfunny script and grating voice-acting.

In a nod to Day of the Tentacle, you get to control three different characters, switching between them to solve puzzles in different locations. The first is Papa Doc, a voodoo (sorry, Vooju) priest who is betrayed by someone close to him, leading him to team up with a fat pirate chef and a sassy lady swashbuckler.

Together, they combine objects to save the world from evil people. The puzzles are the main problem. If you ignore the mentioned before, it's still too much of a chore to play through. Time and again you face the age-old problem of simple things being made stupidly obtuse and long-winded. At one point, there are some bodies on the floor and you need to move them. Your character could just push them, as he seemed capable of shoving over a large wooden pole, but no, he won't do it, so you've got to go through a frustrating rigmarole to get the job done. Rinse and repeat for too many other parts of the game.

As mentioned, if the script was funny and the characters had any charm, it'd be fine - one of the strengths of games like The Secrets of Monkey Island is that even when you're stuck, you're still content within the world. This never happens in Ghost Pirates. Just get hold of the remade Monkey Island, or hold out for the possible remake of Monkey Island 2.