CP3S said:

That goes without saying!

In fact, Escape is what made me realize how much I really enjoyed Curse. While playing Curse I just kept thinking, "Ah man, more Monkey Island, this is great! But it just isn't quite the same..."

Then Escape came along, and I once again gobbled it up and beat it in a few days, had fun along the way but still felt that, "Ah man, more Monkey Island, this is great! But it just isn't quite the same..."

A few years later a second replay of Curse was every bit as enjoyable as the first time, and perhaps even more fun because I'd anticipate coming up on the parts I had really enjoyed the first time through. But an attempted second replay of Escape proved completely unenjoyable. After a relatively short distance into the game for the second time, all it took was thinking about the inevitable Monkey Kombat I'd have to once again suffer through toward the end of the game to convince me my time could be better wasted.

Escape is a distraction worthwhile for anyone who just can't get enough MI and is willing to play a crappy game to get their fix. But Curse on the other hand is a genuinely great adventure game, even if it doesn't mesh so well with the original games and isn't the third part that was intended by the series creator.

Couldn't agree more. I've always had extreme difficulty mustering up the patience for a replay of Escape. I think I'm fond of the idea of playing it through again, but my enthusiasm always ends up tapering off somewhere in the process.

BTW, have you tried the (relatively recent) "special editions" of MI 1-2? Updated graphics, game engine, sound, what-have-you. Personally, I find them a delightful companion to the established series, but they'll never take the place of the two original games. Still, those in charge of the projects are to be commended, IMO, for their assiduous faithfulness to the source material. Also, it's kinda nice to hear Dom's voice speaking MI 1-2 dialogue (which I always found a bit wittier and better written than that of 3-4).