Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Sierra
Year: 1987
Platform: DOS; Mac; Apple II; Amiga

Score: 4

Based on Chuck Benton’s text game “Softporn Adventure”, Leisure Suit Larry was the first popular adult game on the market.

You are Larry Laffer, a short, ugly, stupid, anachronistic, swingin’ single guy in a leisure suit looking for action any way you can get it. However, this is not simply a pick-up game. Other obstacles impede your progress, forcing you to explore some non-sexual, mostly inventory-based puzzles, such as getting past a bouncer or acquiring a password to get into a “VIP room.” However, only a few of the game’s puzzles even reach ‘moderate’ on the challenge scale.

The 16-color EGA graphics aren’t horrible, but the color scheme can be gaudy at times. As this was one of Sierra’s earlier games without MIDI support, the soundboard gets to beep a lot, but not nearly as annoyingly as in King’s Quest, where the whole intention seemed to be to startle your digestive system. The text parser is adequate, mostly understanding what you’re trying to do.

While some of the individual puzzles in the game are fun, the plot design becomes dull quickly. To get anywhere, you must call a cab. To get money for the cab, you must play slots in the casino. You must do this several times, accessing the ‘save’ and ‘restore’ functions quite often. Boredom sets in quickly.

Overall, a neat little game, with sporadic periods of amusement. You can use a payphone to call the Sierra helpline or answer a sex survey. Larry’s deaths are often worth seeking out, even if they require you to restore a few minutes back. The game is short, so replaying parts isn’t a big deal unless it involves winning at the slot machine. While I was entertained enough to push through, it’s only worth playing for those who want to enjoy the entire six-game Laffer experience (you do not need to play it for continuity’s sake) or those who must simply have every game of a sexual nature.