Leisure Suit Larry III: Passionate Patti in Pursuit
      of the Pulsating Pectorals - Sierra On-Line RRP œ39.99
               (Graphic adventure with text input)

@~I've just discovered that it's very hard to write a review of a
@~Larry Laffer game without making perfectly innocent comments or
@~using phrases which one would normally use, but which in the
@~context of this review suddenly develop the most awful
@~double-meanings! I will apologise in advance for any which may
@~escape my notice when I check this through...

For anyone who hasn't heard of Larry, the sex-crazed "hero" of
this series of graphic adventures, his sole aim in life seems
to be to indulge in as many "conquests" as he can during his
search for the perfect relationship. Unfortunately for Larry,
things don't always turn out according to plan and he is
frequently made to look an idiot by the women he has set out to
have his way with.

The third game in the series starts on the tropical island of
Nontoonyt where the last one ended, with Larry having found true
love (at last!) with the native girl Kalalau. Now a happily
married man, the womanizing lounge lizard has given up his old
ways and settled down to a life of wedded bliss. But since the
finale of LSL2 and the beginning of LSL3, things have changed in
more ways than one.

Firstly, Larry himself has altered out of all recognition. Gone
are the slim physique and white suit of the olden days. Larry is
now a somewhat paunchy figure clad in sunglasses, hawaiian shirt
and a pair of shorts. Nontoonyt has changed too; the natives
have discovered that they can make a lot of money by going
commercial so hotels have sprung up along the sandy beaches and
souvenir sellers prowl the area, looking for unsuspecting
tourists who will part with vast amounts of cash in exchange for
tacky, made-in-Hong-Kong souvenirs.

Still, Larry has his loving wife and a good job working for his
father-in-law, so all's well with the world - or is it?  Sadly,
his world is about to come tumbling around his ears as he
discovers that Kalalau has fallen out of love with him and into
love with Bobbi .... and Bobbi isn't another bloke! Seizing the
chance to get rid of an unwanted employee, Kalalau's dad promptly
fires Larry from his job. Footloose and fancy-free, there is only
one option open to him. Making a swift costume change in a
phone booth which appears conveniently on a jungle path, Larry
Laffer (husband) disappears to be replaced by Larry Laffer
(womanizer), complete with the obligatory white suit.

Making up for lost time, Larry goes in search of women and
luckily for him, there are several around the island. However, as
in any adventure, they all have a deal of sorts to make, so there
is some (easy) problem-solving involved before Larry stands any
chance of success.

I first heard of LSL3 in Mike Gerrard's interview with the game's
designer, Al Lowe, which was in Issue 2 of SynTax.  Whereas the
first two LSL games had Larry as the only character you could
control, LSL3 was to be different in that, half-way through, you
would stop playing Larry and instead become Patti and then
continue the game as a woman. This is, indeed, what happens when,
due to a misunderstanding between Larry and Patti, he wanders off
and she has to find him again. I'm afraid I had lost interest and
switched off the computer before this sex-change took place.....

I can still remember the fuss when LSL1 was released because of
the sexual content of the game. Personally, I didn't find it at
all shocking but, on the other hand, I finished with a very low
score so obviously didn't enter fully into the spirit of the
thing! Not having played LSL2, I can't say how explicit it was but
I gather it had been toned down a bit.

There are very strict warnings about the nature of the game at
the start of Larry 3 and an age check which dumps you back to
desk top if you say you're 12 or under, gives you a so-called
clean version if you select 13 to 17 and for older players a
short quiz which determines how racy a version you play.
Despite deliberately choosing the "clean" version, I must admit
that I was taken aback by some aspects of the game. There are few
sequences which can be omitted, as in LSL1, and yet allow you to
complete the game. In fact the program takes over at these times
and leaves the player as a sort of voyeur.

One thing which did amuse me was that, despite Larry's other
"activities", he was too modest to change his clothes in a public
place (including a secluded jungle).....

I've always said that I do not subscribe to the school of thought
which says that all sexism should be removed from software.
However, I didn't find Larry 3 to be especially enjoyable as an
adventure and before long, found myself wishing I was playing an
Infocom instead or even longing for the days of King's Quest and
Police Quest where playing an adventure meant solving problems
rather than watching two cartoon characters getting up to
whatever it is cartoon characters get up to! No doubt I'll be in
the minority and LSL3 will sell as well as the previous games in
the series.  As for me, I'll wait patiently for Hero's Quest and
Conquest of Camelot which will, no doubt, be more to my taste.

If you don't agree with me, please write in and give your views.
Have I been biased against the game just because I'm a woman and
the game wasn't written with women in mind despite the fact that
I was attempting to play the game purely as an adventure and
trying to ignore any personal disquiet I might feel? Did I give
up on it too soon?  Did the racist and ethnic humour disturb or
amuse you?  I'm not for a moment saying this game is should be
banned or whatever - just that, as an adventure, I thought it had
very little to commend it. But what do YOU think? I'd love to
know!

                                           Sue