Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Sierra
Year: 1991
Platform: DOS, Macintosh, Amiga

The remake of Land of the Lounge Lizards (which was a remake of the text game Softporn Adventure) could have turned a funny game with subpar game design into a masterpiece. Instead we are left with pieces. And none of them are masterful.

Too many of the pieces borrow from Leisure Suit Larry 5, and if you know how I feel about that game, it’s no wonder this one turns me off. The graphics are wretched with a color scheme that makes What Dreams May Come seem bland. The sound effects and MIDI music are unimaginative, and the point’n’click interface removes what little challenge was there. And the actual plot–which is a lot of walking and a lot of gambling–is still irritating.

What keeps this game from adventure game hell are two minor improvements from the original version. Primarily, the ease with which Larry can now win at the casino eliminates the monotony that horribly paced its predecessor. Less importantly, the close-up shots of Larry’s conquests (see: babes) are done very well; if only the rest of the game could have received so much detail.

Unfortunately, the horrible visual and auditory presentation detracts from the charm present in the AGI offering. It’s almost as if they didn’t trust the humor from the original game; the production values insist upon themselves, getting in the way. And since everything that made the original a middle-of-the-road game is still here, there is no real reason to play this game.

Unless of course you loved Larry 5.