LEISURE SUIT LARRY IN THE LAND OF THE LOUNGE LIZARDS

by Al Lowe and Mark Crowe

Sierra On-Line, Inc.
P.O. Box 485
Coarsegold, CA 93614
(209) 683-6858
Low resolution $39.95

by Arnie Katz

Once upon a time, there was a harmlessly juvenile adventure game called Softporn Adventure (Sierra). This all-text title cast the player as a Don Juan on the town for a night of drinking, gambling and woman-chasing. Its somewhat unsophisticated view of sex, culled from the philosophy of Hugh Hefner, circa 1962, may have raised a few prudish hackles, but it was hard not to surrender to its lighthearted hedonism, liberally laced with broad, self-deprecating humor.

Leisure Suit Larry updates and expands upon the same theme. It's still not a terrific gift for the leader of the local chapter of NOW or a member of the Moral Majority, but it guarantees hours of lighthearted adventuring for more open-minded adults.

Designers Al Lowe and Mark Crowe present Leisure Suit Larry in the game system made famous by Sierra's King's Quest series of fantasy quests. The user moves 40-year-old Larry through more than 50 colorful, well-animated screens showing the pleasure and pitfalls of the sin city of "Lost Wages." Dozens of clever visual embellishments—like a barfly who swings her leg enticingly—constantly pop up to surprise and delight the player.

A 900-word parser helps the player communicate with the people (mostly women) encountered by the virginal salesman during his quest to win and woo an obliging lady.

Gambling also plays a big role in Leisure Suit Larry. A trip to the casino gives the user a chance to risk Larry's stake with a pull of the slot-machine lever or a hand of Blackjack. The ability to use the proceeds from such risk-taking to further Larry's pursuit of carnal knowledge makes the user a little more than careful about winning and losing imaginary money.

Leisure Suit Larry is one of a spate of recent adult adventure programs released for home computers. It's by far the best.